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A STATIVJB
©IP ©WKTOflJKIBo
MEMOIRS
OF
A NATIVE OF OWHYHEE,
AND A MEMBER OF THE
¥ove\g\\ Mission Scliao!^
WHO DIED AT
CORNWALL, CONN. FEB. 17, ISIS,
AGED 26 YEARS.
$etB-#alien :
5N BUSHED BY NATHAN WHITING.
Agent of the Foreign Mission School
CONVERSE, PRINTER
XS1.0.
V®
f-3M
16 IS
District of Connecticut , ss.
^■*+*****4* Be it remembered, That on the fifth day of
| L S I September, in the forty-third year of the Inde-
j. I Pcndence of the United States of America, Lv-
*********** man Beecher, and Joseph Harvey, of the •
said district have deposited in this office, the title of a
book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in tlm
words following, to wit :
“ Memoirs of Henry Obookiah, a native of Owbyhee,
and a Member of the Foreign Mission School ; who died
at Cornwall, Conn. Feb. 17, 1818, aged 26 years.”
In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United
States, e ntitled, “ An act for the encouragement of learn-
ing, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books,
to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the
times therein mentioned ”
B. T. INGERSOLL,
Clerk of the District of Connecticut.
A true copy of Record, examine'd and sealed by me.
It. I- INGERSOLL,
* Clerk of the District of Connecticut.
w»4
Mv
I'.- :'
MEMOIRS
OP
\IT5X1VL OBOO&1AEL
HENRY OBOOKIAH was a native of
Owhyhee, the most important of the
Sandwich Islands. He was horn about the
year 1792. Ilis parents ranked with the
common people ; .but his mother was dis¬
tantly related to the family of the King.
Her name >vas Kummooolah. The name
of liis father is unknown. When Obookiah
was at the age of ten or twelve, both his
parents were slain before his eyes, “ in a
war,” to use his ow n language, “ made af¬
ter the old King died, to see who should be
the greatest among them.” The only sur¬
viving member of the family, besides him¬
self, was an infant brother two or three
months old. This little brother he hoped
to save from the fate of his parents, and
took him upon his hack to flee from the ene¬
my ; but was overtaken, and the child cru-
4
Memoirs of
elly destroyed. The circumstances of this
interesting scene arc so accurately stated in
a “ Narrative” already before the public,
that that account will be here transcribed.
The facts were taken from the relation of
Obookiah.
“ Two parties were contending for the
dominion of the Island. The warriors met,
and a dreadful slaughter ensued. The
party to which the father of Obookiah be¬
longed was overpowered. The conquerors
having driven their antagonists from the
field, next turned their rage upon the vil¬
lages and families of the vanquished. The
alarm was given of their approach. The
father, taking his wife and two children,
lied to the mountains. There he concealed
himself for several days with his family in
a cave. But, at length, being driven by
thirst to leave their retreat, they went in
quest of water to a neighbouring spring.
Here they were surprized by a party of the
enemy while in the act of quenchidg their
thirst. The father, obeying the first im¬
pulse of nature, fled, but the cries of his
wife and children soon brought him back
again for their protection. But seeing the
enemy near, again he fled. The enemy
seeing the affection of the father for his
family, having seized his wife and cliil-
5
Henry Obookiah.
tlren, put them to the torture, in order to
decoy him from his retreat. The artifice
succeeded. Unable to bear the piercing
cries of his family, again he appeared and
fell into their hands, and with his wife was
cut in pieces. While this was going on,
Obookiah being then a lad of about twelve
years, took his infant brother upon his
back, and attempted to make his escape.
But he was pursued, and his little brother
pierced through witli a pahooa, or spear,
while on his back. lie himself was saved
alive, because he was not young enough to
give them trouble, nor old enough to excite
their fears.”
Obookiah, being now a prisoner in the
hands of the enemy, was taken home to the
house of the very man who murdered his
parents. With him he remained, until he
was found by an uncle, who having obtain¬
ed the consent of his keeper, took him into
his own family and treated him as his
child. This uncle was a priest; and had
the rank of high priest of the Island. It
was his design to educate Obookiah for tlm
same* service. In pursuance of this pur¬
pose, he taught him long prayers and train¬
ed him to tiie task of repeating them daily
in the temple of the idol. This ceremony
he sometimes commenced before sunrise in
A 2
6
Memoirs of
the morning, and at other times was em¬
ployed in it during the whole or the greater
part of the night. Parts of these prayers
he often repeated to gratify the curiosity of
his friends, after he came to this country.*
He continued with his uncle and in this
employment, until he took his departure
from his native country, to go in quest of
another, where he hoped to find the happi¬
ness which the death of his parents had ta¬
ken from him, and which nothing, now to
he found in his own country, could at all
supply.
His own feelings on this subject, with
some account of his situation while he re¬
mained upon the Island, of his departure
for America, and his reception in this
country, are found in a history of his past
life written by himself several years before
his death. As this, to all the readers of
these memoirs will doubtless be interesting,
considered especially as the production of a
heathen youth, the greater part of it will
be inserted ; with but few slight alterations.
His own ideas, and in general, his own
language will be preserved.
* The prayers regarded the weather, the general pros-
perity of the Island, its defence from enemies, and espe¬
cially the life and happiness of the King.
Henry Obookiah .
The history commences at the time of his
parents’ death.
“ The same man,” says he, “ which
killed my father and mother took me home
to his own house. His wife was an amia¬
ble woman, and very kind, and her hus¬
band also : yet ©n account of killing my
parents I did not feel contented. After I
lived with this man about a year or two, I
found one of my uncles, who was a priest
among them ; but he knew not who 1 was,
(for I was quite small when he saw me at
home with my parents.) lie enquired the
name of my parents — I told him. As soon
as he heard the name of my parents, tears
burst out and he weeped bitterly. He wish
ed me not to go back and Jive with that man
which killed my father and mother, but to
live with him as long as I live. I told him
I must go back and see that man, whether
he was willing to give me a release. This
was done. I went home, and told the man
all what my uncle had told me. But the
saying seemed to him very unpleasing. As
soon as he had heard all what I said to him,
he was very tormented with anger, as if he
would look me in pieces that moment. He
would not let me go, not till he die, or else
be take my life away. Not long after this,
I went and told my uncle what the man had
3
Memoirs of
told me, and he would no more let me go
back to the man’s house, until the man come
after me, then lie would converse with him
on tins subject. After I had lived with my
unde two or three days, the man came to
his house, to take me home. But my un¬
de told him that I was as his own child —
that he would not let me go back and live
with him ; else if he take me, he should
take both of us. Yet the man did say but
little because my uncle was a priest. But
1m told my uncle that if I should live with
him, he must take kind care of me as what
he has done. He told him lie would by all
means. When all this was done I lived with
my unde a number of years.*’
It was probably during this period, and
before peace was entirely restored to the Isl¬
and, that an event occurred in which the
hand of Providence was strikingly visible
in rescuing Obookiah from a second expo*
sure to a violent and untimely death.
He, with an aunt, the only surviving sis¬
ter of his father, had fallen into the posses¬
sion of the enemy. On a certain day it
came to his knowledge that his aunt, and,
perhaps himself, was to be put to death—
the first opportunity he could find, he at¬
tempted to make his escape. And by creep¬
ing through a hole into a cellar, and going
Henri) Obookiah.
9
out on the opposite side, he got away, unob¬
served, ^nd wandered off at a considerable
distance from the house in which he had
been kept. Hut it was not long before his
aunt was brought out, by a number of the
enemy, and taken to a precipice, from which
she was thrown and destroyed, lie saw
this — and now feeling himself, more than
ever alone, as soon as the enemy had re¬
tired, he ran toward the fatal spot, resolv¬
ed to throw himself over and die with this
friend ; whom, perhaps, he now considered
as the last individual of his kindred. But
lie was discovered by one of the chiefs, or
head men of the party, who ordered two
men to pursue him and bring him back. —
He was overtaken just before he reached
the precipice, and carried back fo the quar¬
ters of the enemy. By a kind interposi¬
tion of Providence he was saved for pur¬
poses which will appear in the subsequent
history.
“ At the death of my parents,” he says,
“ l was with them ,* I saw them killed with
a bayonet— and with them my little brother,
not more than two or three months old — so
that 1 was left alone without father and
mother in this wilderness world. Poor
boy, thought I within myself, after they
were gone, arc there any father or mother
sO Memoirs of
of mine at Lome, that I may go and find
them at home? No; pool* boy am 1. And
while l was at play with other children — .
after we had made an end of playing, they
return to their parents — but 1 was return¬
ed into tears ; — for 1 have no home, neither
lather nor mother- 1 was now brought
away from my home to a stranger place,
and 1 thought of nothing more but want of
father or mother, and to cry day and night*
“ While l was with my uncle, for some
time l began to think about leaving that
country, to go to some other part of the
globe. I did not care where I shall go to.
I thought to myself that if I should get
away, and go to some other country, pro¬
bably I may find some comfort, more than
to live there, without father and mother. — .
I thought it will be better for me to go than
to stay. About this time there was a ship
conic from New-York -.—Captain Brintnali
the master of the ship. As soon as it got
into the harbour, in the very place where I
lived, 1 thought of no more but to take the
best chance 1 had, and if the Captain have
no objection, to take me as one of his own
servants and to obey his word. As soon as
the ship anchored I went on board. The
Captain soon enquired whose bov I was.
Yet 1 knew not what he says to nic, for I
li
Henry GbookiaTi .
could not speak the English language*—
But there was a young man wiio could
sp^ak the English language, and he told
the Captain that I was the Minister’s neph¬
ew— (the minister of that place.) The
Captain wished me to stay on board the
ship that night, and the next day go home.
This very much satisfied me, and I con¬
sented to stay. At evening the Captain in¬
vited me to eat supper with him. And
there sat another boy with us who was to
be my fellow-traveller ; by name Thomas
Hopoo — Thomas, a name given him by
the supercargo of the ship. After supper
the Captain made some enquiry to sec if
we were willing to come to America ; and
soon I made a motion with my head that 1
was willing to go. This man was very
agreeable, and his kindness was much de¬
lighted in my heart, as if I was his own
son, and he was my own father. Thus I
still continue thankful for his kindness to¬
ward me.
“ The next morning the Captain wished
me to go shore and see my uncle, whether
ho was willing to let me go with him or not.
I then got into a canoe and went on shore
and found my uncle. He was at home.—
He asked me. where was I been through all
that night before. I told him that I was on
12 Memoirs of
board the ship and staid there all the night.
I told him what my object was, and all
what the Captain invite me to. As soon as
my uncle heard that I was going to leave
him, lie shut me up in a room, for he was
not willing to let me go. While I was in
the room my old grandmother coming in,
asked me what was my notion of leaving
them, and go with the people whom 1 know
not. I told her it is better for me to go
than to stay there. She said if l should
leave them I shall not see them any more.
I told her that I shall come back in a few
months if 1 live. Her eyes were filled with
tears. She said that I was very foolish
boy. This was all she said, and she w'ent
out from the room. As soon as she went
out, 1 looked around expecting to find a
hole that 1 might escape out of the house.
And as soon as I saw a little hole in the
side of the house, I got through it and went
on board the ship. When my uncle heard
that l was on hoard the ship, he got into his
canoe and came hoard the ship enquiring
after me. No sooner after he made some
enquirement 1 was there discovered by one
of our countrymen who had the care of the
ship, and was brought forth, and come to
my uncle’s house. He would not let me go
not unless I pay him a hog for his god :
Henry ObuokiaJi.
i 3
(for I was taken under his care, to be made
for a minister.)’9
Here there is an interruption in the his¬
tory, and it does not appear whether the ex¬
acted price was or was not paid for his dis¬
charge, and permission to come to Ameri¬
ca. Permission, however, was soon ob¬
tained.
“ My uncle,” he says, “ would now de¬
lay me no longer, and I took my leave of
them and bid them farewell. My parting
with them was disagreeable to them and to
me, but I was willing to leave all my rela¬
tions, friends and acquaintance ; expected
to see them no more in this world. We set
out on our journey towards the Seal Islands,
on the N. W. part of America. On (hesc
islands the Captain left twenty or thirty
men for scaling business on his way to
Owhyhce. We found them safe. Among
these men I found a very desirable young*
man, by name Russell Hubbard, a son of
Gen. H. of Ncw-IIaven. This Mr. Hub-
hard was a member of Yale College. He
was a friend of Christ. Christ was with
him when I saw him, but I knew it not. —
« Happy is the man that put his trust in
God !,? Mr. Hubbard was very kind to me
on our passage, and taught me the letters in
English spelling-book.
' B
14
. Memoirs of
“ We continued on these Islands during
six months, then took our course towards
Owhyhee. Two of my countrymen were
with me in the ship. One of them conclud¬
ed to stay at Owliyhce, and the other to pro¬
ceed on the voyage. The ship delayed no
longer than a few days, and we set out for
China, on our direct course to America. —
On our way towards China my poor friend
Thomas fell overboard. He was so care¬
less, not knowing what he was about, he
went outside of the ship and drew salt wa¬
ter to wash plates with (for he was a cabin’s
boy.) When the ship rolled he got in the-
water. The Captain calks all hands upon
the deck, and ordered to have all the sails
pull down in order to let about — While vve
were working upon our sails, my friend
Thomas was out of sight. While ike was
in the water he pulls all off his clothes in
order to he lighter — Wc turned our ship
and went back after him. We found him
almost dead. He was in the water during
the space of two and a half hours, O how
glad was I then to see him — for he was al¬
ready gone.
“We took our direct course from hence
as it was before. Soon we landed at an
Island belonging to that part of China, and
in the evening after the sun-clown we an-
13
Henry Qbaakiah,
chored. On the next morning we fired
one of our cannon for a pilot. When we
had fired once or twice, there was another
ship of war belonging to the British, which
stood about four or five miles apart from us.
As soon as they heard our cannon, they
sent one of their brigs. We were then ta¬
ken by it for a while. They took our Cap¬
tain and he went on board the men of war’s
ship. Ho was there for a number of days.
After this the Englishmen agreed to let us
go. We therefore leave that place, called
Mocow or Mockow, (Mocao) and directed
our course to the city of Canton. We were
there until we sold out all our seal-skins and
loaded our ship with other sort of goods ;
such as tea, cinnamon, nankeens and silk,
&c. At the end of six months we steered
a direct course to America. At the Cape
of Good Hope, or before it, our sailors on
hoard the ship began to terrify at us. — .
They said that there was a man named
Neptune who lived in that place and bis
abiding place was in the sea. In the eve¬
ning the sailors begun the act. — One of them
took an old great coat and put on him, and
with a speaking trumpet in his hand, and
his head was covered with a sheep-skin;
and be went forward of the ship arid mak¬
ing a great noise. x4bout this time friend
16
Memoirs of
Thomas and myself were on the quarter¬
deck, hearing* some of them telling about
Neptune’s coming with an iron canoe, and
iron paddle. Friend Thomas questioned
whether the iron canoe will not sink down
in the water. “ No.” said some of them,
“ he will make it light for he is a God.”
While we were talking, the first we heard
the sound of trumpet as follows. — “ Ship
hail! from whence came your” — The Cap¬
tain immediately giving an answer in this
manner: “From Canton.” “ Have you
got my boys,” said the old Neptune. —
“ Yes,” answered the Captain. — “ Ilow
many boys have you,” added the old Nep¬
tune. “ Two,” said the Captain, (that is
myself and friend Thomas.) As soon as
we both heard the Captain says « two,” we
both scared almost to death ; and wished
we were at home. The old Neptune wish¬
ed to see us ; but we dare not come near at
it. He continued calling to us to come to
him, or else he would take both of us to be
as his servants. We therefore went up
immediately and shook our hands with him
in friendly manner. 1 thought that he was
quite an old age ; by seeing his long beards
and his head covered with gray hairs :
for his head ^as covered with a sheep¬
skin. After our conversation with him
he wished for drink. So that I went
Henry Oh.okiah.
17
and Ailed two pails full of salt-water, (as
the sailors had told us,) and 1 set them be¬
fore him. Then he took his speaking trum¬
pet and put it in my mouth for tunnel, in
order to make me drink that salt-water
which I brought. But while he stoops down
to reach the pail of water, I took hold of
the speaking trumpet and hold it on one
side of my cheek, so that 1 may not drink
a drop of salt water: did not any body
knew it for it was dark. But friend Thom¬
as he was so full of scare, he took down
a great deal of salt water. On the next
morning he was taken sick, and puked from
the morning until the evening.
“ About this time our provision was al¬
most out. We had no bread, meat and wa¬
ter, save only one biscuit a day and one
pint of water ; only when the cook put in
our tea. We were looking out for a vessel
for a long time. Within a few days we
come close to a schooner going to the West
Indies; sailed from Boston. We fired at
her in order to stop her. So did she. We
got from them as much provision as wc
wished, and this^asted us until we got to
New-York.
«« We landed at New-York in the year
1809 : continued there a few weeks, and
after the captain sold out all the goods that
B 2
is
Memoirs of
arc in the ship, we then parted with all our
sailors : every one to go to their own home.
But friend Thomas and myself continued
with the Captain. One evening two gen¬
tlemen called on board the ship to see us.
After our conversation was made with
them, they wished us to go with them into
a play-house, to show the curiosity. We
then went with them into the play-house
and saw a great number of peoples, as I
ever saw before. Wc staid during the
fore part of the evening, then went on
hoard the ship. The next morning the
same two gentlemen called again and in¬
vited us to come to their house that fore¬
noon. So that wc both went. I thought
while in the house of these two gentlemen
how strange to see females eat with men.
« Within a few days we left our ship and
went home with Captain B. to New-Ha-
ven ; the place where lie lived. There 1
lived with him for some time. In this
place I become acquainted with many stu¬
dents belonging to the College. By these
pious students I was told more about God
than what I had beard before ; but I was
so ignorant that 1 could not see into it
whether it was so. Many times I wished
to hear more about God, but find no body
to interpret it to me. I attended many
Henry Obookmh,
19
meetings on the sabbath, but find difficulty
t<) understand the minister. 1 could under¬
stand or speak but very little of tbe Eng¬
lish language. Friend Thomas went to
school to one of the students in the Col¬
lege before I thought of going to school.
I heard that a ship was ready to sail from
Ncw-York within a few days for Owhybee.
The Captain was willing that I might take
leave of this country and go home it 1
wish. But this was disagreeable to my
mind. I wished to continue in this coun¬
try a little longer. I staid another week—
sa v Mr E. W. D. who first taught me to
read and write. The first time 1 saw him,
he enquired whether 1 was one who came
over with Thomas, (for Thomas was
known among many schollars in College.)
I told him l was one who came over with
Thomas. He then asked me if I wished
t0 learn to read and w rite. I told him that
I was. He wished me to come to bis room
that night and begin to learn. So that I
went in the evening ami began to read in
the spelling-book. Mr. D. wished me to
come to his room at any tune when i
agreeable to the Captain with whom I then
lived. I went home that night and the
next morning 1 mentioned all this matter
to the Captain. He was pleased, and he
20
•Xcmoirs of
wished me to go to school to Mr. 1).
Thus l continued in school with him for
several months.”
When Obookiah was first discovered at
New- Haven by the' person of whom ho
speaks, his appearance was unpromising,
lie was clothed in a rough sailor’s suit,
was of a clumsy form, and his counte¬
nance dull and heavy. His friend had al¬
most determined to pass him by, as one
whom it would be in vain to notice and at¬
tempt to instruct. But when the question
was put him “ Do you wish to learn ?” his
countenance began to brighten. And when
tbe proposal was made that he should come
the next day to the college for that purpose,
he served it with great eagerness.
It was not long after he began to study,
and bad obtained some further knowledge
of the English language, that be gave evi¬
dence, that the dullness, which was thought
to he indicated by his countenance, formed
no part of his character, it soon appear¬
ed that his eyes were open to every thin"*
that was passing around him, and that he
bad an unusual degree of discernment with
regard to persons and things of every de¬
scription that came within his notice. The
first exhibition that was made of this trait
m l3is character, and indeed the first deci-
Henry Obookiah.
SI
•give evidence he furnished that his mind
was less inactive than had been supposed,
was in the following incident.
When he began to read in words of one
or two syllables in the Spelling-book there
were certain sounds which he found it very
difficult to articulate. This was true, es¬
pecially of syllables that contained the
letter h : a letter which occasioned him
more trouble than all others. In pro¬
nouncing it, he uniformly gave it the sound
of L, At every different reading an at¬
tempt was made to correct the pronuncia¬
tion. The language generally used on such
occasions was, “ Try , Obookiah, it is very
easy.” This was often repeated. But it
was soon perceived, that whenever these
words were used they excited a smile.
And as patience began to be tried by many
unsuccessful attempts, ami the words to be
used more in earnest, be was observ¬
ed to turn away bis face for the purpose of
concealment, and seemed much diverted.
As be was unable to express bis thoughts
except by acts, no explanation was made
and none demanded. The reason was
scarcely perceived. But as the attempts
to correct the error were at last successful,
the circumstance was vSoon forgotten. A
short time after this, long enough, however,
Memoirs of
22
f or Obookiah to have made some improve¬
ment in speaking the English, his instruc¬
tor was spending an evening pleasantly
with him, in making enquiries concerning
some of the habits and practices of his own
. country. Among other things Obookiah
mentioned the manner in which his coun¬
trymen drank from a springs when out up¬
on their hunting excursions. The cup
which they used, was their hands. It was
made by clasping them together, and so
adjusting the thumbs, and bending the
hands, as to form a vessel which would
contain a considerable quantity. Of this
bo gave an example; and after preparing
. Ids hands, was able, from the pliabicncss of
his arms, to raise them entirely to his
mouth, without turning them at all from
their horizontal position. The experiment
was attempted by his instructor: hut he
Found that before his hands were raised
half the distance to Ids mouth, they were
so much inverted, that their contents would
have been principally lost. lie repeated
the trial until he began to be discouraged ;
when Obookiah, who had been much amus¬
ed with his efforts, with a very expressive
countenance said to him, “Try, Mr. 1 )., it
is very easy M The former mystery was
now unravelled, and an important lesson
Henry Obookiah.
23
taught with respect to the ease or difficulty,
'with which things are done by us, that are
or are not natural to us ; or to which we
have or have not been, from early life, ac¬
customed.
About this time, it was discovered that
Obookiah noticed with uncommon acuteness
' and. interest, every singularity in the speech
and manners of those around him. And in the
midst of his own awkwardness, to the sur¬
prise of all who were conversant with him,
he suddenly began to shew himself dexter¬
ous as a mimick. He one day placed him¬
self upon the floor, drew up Ids sleeves
half way to the (dhow, walked across the
room with a peculiar air, and said “ Who
diS ?” The person intended was instantly
known by all that were present. He then
put himself in a different position, changed
liis gait, and said again, <* Well who dis?”
This' imitation also was so accurate, of
another of the members of College, that
no one doubted with regard to the original.
The extent of his own awkwardness at this
time may be learned from the effect which
an exhibition of it produced upon himself.
After he had completed his own efforts at
mimrokry, Ids friend said to him, “Well,
Obookiah, should you like to know how
you walk 2" He seemed much pleased with
24
Memoirs of
the suggestion, and the imitation was at¬
tempted. He was greatly diverted, though
almost incredulous, and said with earnest¬
ness— several times repeating the question
— “Me walk so?" After being assured
that it was a reality, he burst into a loud
roar of laughter and fell upon the floor,
where he indulged his mirth until he had
exhausted his strength.
The same trait of character was dis¬
coverable in the manner in which he was
affected with respect to the idols of the hea¬
then, upon the first instruction given him
concerning the true God. He was at once
very sensibly impressed with the ludicrous
nature of idol worship. Smiling at its ab¬
surdity, he said « Owhyhce gods ! they
wood , burn ; Me go home, put ’em in a fire,
burn ’em up. They no see , no hear , no
any thing” — then added, “ We make them —
Our God , (looking up) He make us .”
The history proceeds — “ Now I wished
no more to live with Captain any longer,
but rather wished to live somewhere else,
where I could have an opportunity to learn
to write and read. I went to my friend
Mr. D. who was to be my best and kind
friend; I made known to him all my de¬
sire. I told him that I wished to live where
I could have an opportunity to get in some
Henry Obookiah .
25
school, ami work a part of the time. He
then wished me to live with President
Dwight. This satisfied me; I went with
him to Dr. Dwight’s house. 1 lived with
this pious and good family for some time,
and went to school to the same man as be-
tore. While I lived with these good people
I have more time to attend to my book
than I ever did before. Here was the first
time I meet with praying family morning
and evening. It was difficult for me to un¬
derstand what was said in prayer, but 1
doubt not this good people were praying
lor me while I was with them ; seeing that
1 was ignorant of God and my Saviour.
1 heard of God, as often as 1 lived with
this family, and 1 believed but little. Whilst
X lived at Dr. Dwight’s, I went up to my
school room one evening, and saw Mr.
S. J. M., a son of Rev/ Mr. S J. I., of
Tcrringford, sitting w ith Mr. D. my in¬
structor. Mr. D. wished me to make ac¬
quaintance with Mr. M. So did I — (and
shook hands with him.) Mr. M. continu¬
ed in New-Haven for several months. Du¬
ring this time he wished me to go home
witii him; he says lie has a good father,
mother, brother and sister. This request¬
ing was very pleasing to me—so that J
consented. X then left New-Haven and
C
26 Memoirs of
went home with Mr. M. I lived with this
family in the year 1S10. These people
were the most judicious and kindest people,
1 was treated by them in the most affection ¬
ate manner — (yet not knowing who brought
me there, for 1 was very ignorant of Him
who gave me so many good friends in this
country.) It seemed to me as my own
home. It was. And I have made my
home there frequently. I could say much
of them, but what more can l do, but to
remember their kindness toward me.
While I was with them I continued my
study in spelling, reading and writing, to
Mr. ,T. F. M. a brother of Mr. M. whom
I was acquainted with at tho first. Here
I learned some sort of farming business :
cutting wood, pulling flax, mow ing, See. —
only to look at the other and learn from
them.”
As Gbookiah was to obtain, in part, his
support at Mr. Mills’ by his labour, lie was
immediately set about most kinds of busi¬
ness that pertain to a farm. And though
this was a new employment to him, he was
found to excel in every thing to which he
turned his hand. One glance at others for
an example was all the instruction that lm
required, before he was ready to undertake.
Henry Obookiah, 27
ami to perform skilfully, every kind of la¬
bour.
The following extract of a letter from
the Rev. Mr. Mills, sufficiently illustrates
this part of his character.
« There was something unusual in re¬
gard to Obookiah. His attention to what
passed before him, and his talent at imita¬
tion, were singular. He bad never mown
a clip until he came to live with me. My
son furnished him with a scythe. He stood
and looked on to see the use be made of it,
and at once followed, to the surprise of
those who saw him. We had a spell at
reaping. We furnished him with a sickle.
He stood and looked, and followed on. It
was afterwards observed by a person who
was in the held, that there were not two
reapers there who excelled him.
“ In these respects and others, he w as
truly a remarkable youth.”
While Obookiah remained in the family
of Mr. Mills « every possible attention was
paid to the improvement of his mind, and
his progress was such as to convince those
who instructed him that their labour was
not in vain. He soon acquired a knowl¬
edge of the spelling-book, and in a few
23
Memoirs of
months vvas able to read in the Testament.
By this time he had also made considerable
proficiency in writing. It was observed
that he learned to talk English just as fast
as he learned to read it. When he became
able to communicate his ideas in a broken
manner, he would express a very tender
concern for his countrymen.”*
Henry now made his first essay at letter¬
writing. His first letter was written to his
friend Thomas at New-Haven, and the
second to his former instructor The last
has been preserved, and for reasons that will
be obvious, is here inserted. — The following
is an exact copy.
“ Torringjord , March 2, 1810.
“Mr. E. D. Sir,
“ 1 here now— this place, Torring-
ford — I glad sec you very much. 1 laugh
Tom Hoboo — he say — “ Obooki write me
that? Me no write.” 1 want you tell Tom
Mr. S. Mills say it we be good boys we
shall have friends. One morning you know
1 come into your room in College, and you
tell me — read— you say, what c.a.p. spell?
then I say c.a.p. pig. 1 spell four syllables
now, and I say what is the chief end of
* “Narrative of Heathen Youth.”
29
Henry Obo.'kiah .
man. I like you much. I like your
brother, and your friend Mr. Dean. I
wear this great coat you gave me to meet¬
ing every Sunday. I wish you would write
me a letter and tell me what Tom do.
This from
Henry Obooici.”
(( Mrs. M. the wife of the Rev. Mr. M.”
continues Qbookiah, « was a very amiable
woman, and I was treated by her as her
own child. She used me kindly and learn¬
ed me to say the Catechism.
“Many Ministers called on the Rev.
Mr. M. and I was known by a great num¬
ber of Ministers. But on account of my
ignorance of the true God, I do not wish
to hear them when they talk to me. i
would not wish to he in the room where
they were; neither did I wish to come near
to a Minister, for the reason that lie should
talk to me about God, whom I hated to
hear. I was told by them about Heaven
and Hell, hut I did not pay any attention to
what they say ; for I thought that I was
just as happy as the other people, as those
who do know about God much more than 1
do. But this thought, as I see to it now,
was the most great and dangerous mistake.
C 2
SO Memoirs of
“At the close of the year 1810, 1 left
this place and went to Andover. I con¬
tinued there for some time. Here my wick¬
ed heart began to see a little about the di¬
vine things; but the more I see to it, the
more it appear to be impenetrability. 1
took much satisfaction in conversing with
many students in the Institution. I spent
a little time with some of them, and m
going to one room and to another to recite
to them : for I was taken under their care.
Whenever I got a lesson I had a right to go
to any room in College to recite. While
I was there fora longtime, my friend Mr.
M. was there ; one of my kindest friends
that I had, who took me away from bis fa¬
thers house. This young Mr. M was
studying Divinity at the College, where I
was instructed by the students.”
It was at this time and with the friend
W'ho has been mentioned that Obookiah
made his first attempt to pray in the pres¬
ence of another. “ His friend having knelt
down and prayed, turning to him before
they rose, said, <you may pray.’ — When
he delivered himself, in substance, in the
following terms.”
“ Great and eternal God — make heaven
—make earth — make every tiling — have
mercy on me— make me understand the
Henry Obookiah.
31
Bible — make me good — great God have
mercy on Thomas — make him good— make
Thomas and me go back Owbyhee — tell
folks in Owhyhee, no more praj to stone
god — make some good man go with me to
Owhyhee, tell folks in Owhyhee about
Heaven — about Hell — God make all people
good every where — great God have mercy
on College — make all good — make Mr.
Samuel good — have mercy of Mr Samuel’s
father, mother, sister, brother ” — .<« Our fa¬
ther which art in Heaven,” Sec,
“ My friend Mr. M. now thought it
would be well for me to leave Andover,
and go to some school, where 1 may im¬
prove my time much more than I could
there. He said if l should go he would
try to find some good people who would be
willing to support me. This was a most
kind offer, which I canot feel any more
than to be thankful for all this kindness to
me. Mr. M. now sent me to Bradford
Academy ; and there I continued for some
time at school. The people where 1 board¬
ed, at the house of Deacon FI. were a most
pious family. But while l was herein the
school, my serious feelings, which I had be¬
fore, lost all ; and become very ignorant
of religion by being among some unserious
company* talking many foolish subjects. 1
S2 J Memoirs of
thought now I shall never have any more
such feelings as I had before — I thought
that I must always be miserable here and
hereafter, I became prayerless and thought¬
less— -no hope for mercy. — never attempted
to be alene as I had done before. 1 sit and
walked about all day — -took no opportunity
to be at the throne of grace, but rather to
he stupid— from the morning until evening
never thought of him who kept me alive ;
neither when Hay down upon my bed, nor
when I rose up. I was in this situation for
a long time, while I was at school. At the
close of the school I went back to Andover.
Mr. M. was not there. It was vacation. I
staid until lie returned. When he return¬
ed he enquired how I have been, and how f
was pleased with the school, 1 answered
well. But I did not let him know' what
was my situation, and what trouble 1 had
met with while I was there, but kept all
these things in my ow n mind.
‘‘In the spring season of the year 1511,
I hired myself out for a month or two, on
a ount of iny health, with Mr. F. who
lived about live miles from the College.
Mr. F. one day sent me into the woods not
far from the house to work. I took an
axe and went and worked there till towards
noon* But here ()! I come to myself
33
Henry Obookiah.
again ! many thoughts come into my mind
that i was in a dangerous situation. I
thought that if I should then die, I must
certainly he cast off for ever. While l
was working it appeared as it was a voice
saying, “ Cut it down, why cumbereth it
the ground.” I worked no longer — but
dropped my axe, and walked, a few steps
lrom the place (for the people in the house
would soon send a lad after me, for it was
noon.) I fell upon my knees and looked up
to the Almighty Jehovah for help. I was
not but an undone and hell-deserving sin¬
ner. I felt that it would be just that (Jod
should cast me off whithersoever he would
—that he should do witli my poor soul as
it seemed to him fit, I spent some time here
until [ heard a boy calling for me-- and I
went. The people in the house asked of
my sadness— to which 1 gave but little an¬
swer. In the night my sleep was taken
*ivvay from me. I kept awake almost the
whole night. Many of my feelings and
thoughts in past time came into remem¬
brance — and bow I treated the me cy of
God while I was at Bradford Academy.
I he next morning I rose up before the rest,
and went to a place where 1 was alone by
myself. Here I went both morning night
and noon. At this little place I find some
34 Memoirs of
comfort. And when I go there I enjoy my¬
self better all the day.
“ At the end of two months I returned to
Andover. Many times Mr. M. asked mo
about my feelings, and I was neither wil¬
ling to answer much, nor could I. on ac¬
count of my unfruitfulness and wickedness.
« I continued licrc a few days and then
hired myself out again, and went to labour
for Mr. A. a farmer, in haying time. Mr.
A. was a good man, and it was a religious
family. 1 had here the same seriousness
in my mind as before, but never did meet
with real change of heart yet.”
During Obookiah’s residence at Andover,
he lived two years in the family of Mr. A.
the Steward of the Theological institution.
This family bears very favourable testimo¬
ny to the excellence of his character. They
speak of him with tears. Said Mrs. A. to
a friend, « He was always pleasant. I
never saw him angry. He used to come in¬
to nay chamber and kneel down by me and
pray. Mr. M. did not think he was a Chris¬
tian, at that time, but lie appeared to be
thinking of nothing else but religion. He
afterwards told me that there was a time
when be wanted to get religion into his head
more than into his heart”
In an absence of a month or two from
Ilenry Obaokiah . $5
the family, lie wrote a letter to Mrs. A,
from which the following is an extract.
“ I sometimes think about my poor soul,
and that which God hath done. I will cry
unto God — 44 What shall I do to be saved
I know that God is able to take away blind
eyes and wicked heart. We must be bom
again and have a new spirit before we die.
As soon as we shall be dead, all we must
stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Friend, perhaps you have not done any
thing wicked, so that God can punish you.
I hope you have not. Bui if we are not hi*
friends and followers he will cast us into
Hell, and we shall be there for ever and
ever. I hope you will think upon all these
things. Friend to you,
Henry Obookiah.”
Whilst at Andover Obookiali beard that
one of his countrymen resided in the vicini¬
ty. He hastened to him and spent a part
of a day with him, and a night, in which
they did not sleep. When he returned, a
friend said to him, “ Well Henry, what
news from Owbyhecr”' He replied, I did
not think of Owhyhee , I had so much to say
about Jesus Christ
Henry had now become diligent in study-
36 Memoirs of
ing the Scriptures, and made rapid pro¬
gress in religious knowledge. The follow¬
ing fact is a specimen of what he had at¬
tained.
He was asked, 6( How many miracles are
recorded of our Saviour?” He began with
the first, that of making water wine, and
mentioned them all.
In a lets er from Andover communicating
the preceding facts, it is observed, “ Mr.
A. the Steward, says, Henry was very in¬
quisitive and could never be satisfied until
he saw the whole of a subject. This was
peculiarly observable during an eclipse of
the sun, concerning which he asked many
troublesome questions : and also with re¬
gard to many kinds of public business ;
particularly the mode of levying, collecting
and appropriating taxes.
•* He was seen one morning very early
with a rule measuring the College buil¬
dings and fences. He was asked why he
did it. He smiled, and said, “ So that I
shall know how to build when I go back to
O why lice.”
“ When he heard a word,” said Mr. A.
” which he did not understand or could not
speak-, it was his constant habit to ask me
“ How you speh ? How you spell ? When I
told him he never forgot.”
Henry now began to maintain a corres¬
pondence with his absent friends : a prac¬
tice in which lie seemed to take unusual
• pleas-ure through the whole of his future
life*.
The two following letters, written at An¬
dover,, are taken from the “ Narrative of
Heathen Youth.” “ They were exactly
copied from the original with a few cor¬
rections in the punctuation.” '
“ Andoveb, Dec. 15, 1812.
“ Bear Christian Friend ,
“I irnproVe this opportunity to write to
you. And I saw your beloved book which
you sent by Mr. G. and that I very much
thank you for it.. I am great joy to God to
give me such a good friend in this land
where we hear the words of God — God is
kind to us and to the other — that is to eve¬
ry body else. God will carry through his
work for us;
“ I do not know what- will God do with
my poor soul. I shall go before God and
also both Christ.
“ We must all try to get forward where
God wishes- us fo do. God is able to save
sinners if we have some feeling in him. is
very great tiling to have hope in him, and
do all the Christian graces. I hope the
D
38
Memoirs oj
Lord will send the gospel to the heathen
land where the words of the Saviour never
yet had been. Poor people worship the
wood and stone and shark, and almost- eve¬
ry thing their gods ; the Bible is not there,
and Heaven and Hell they do not know
about it. I yet in this country and no la¬
ther and no mother. But God is friend if
l will do his will and no*t my own will.”
The following letter was written to the
Rev. Mr. Mills of Torringford.
“ Akdovee, Jan. *27, .1813.
“ Very dear Christian Fraud ,
“ l improve this opportunity to write to
you a letter. 1 received .your two letters
and 1 had broken the seals of both of them,
aiid 1 have read those sweet words that
make my poor and wicked heart feel cold,
as like cold water. O Lord how long shall
1 continue in my own sins? Lord wilt thou
hear my secret prayer.
“ Hear Sir, 1 hope your prayer for the
poor and blind immortal souls will be heard.
1 thank you to pray for me beside tny own
prayer. Pray to God that he might pour
down his Holy Spirit upon all our souls.—
1 do not know what will become of my poor
soul, when my time is full come hereafter.
Henry Obookiah. 39
Butin my own feeling I wish his- will, and
I am willing that God do what he please
for my poor soul. What are sweet things
in this world, sinners like better than their
own souls which are going down to .the bot¬
tomless pit. O how wicked and sinful are
we. How shall we go to the path of life
and of his truth, and be with him in Heav¬
en. No way at all ; only we must give
away ourselves to him ‘and leave all our
sins behind. Some think they know not
how. to pray ; but they ought to know,, for
Christ hath taught us. I went to Tynge-
bury last week to see a boy who came from
Owhyhee. He- arrived last Juue — (this is
not Thomas that came with me.) 'As the
distance from this olace was small 1 went
to visit him, 1 hope the Lord will have
mercy upon his poor soul He knew no¬
thing of the Saviour before I told him. I
first mention^ to him Genesis 1. &c. tell¬
ing him that God made the world by his
own power ; then he said, 0 how foolish
we are to worship wood and stone gods ; we
give them hogs and cocoa nuts and banana,
but they cannot eat. Yes, said 1, it is
foolish. Then he asked me where that man
was, that made every thing. I told him,
he was every where with us. Does he hear
when you and I talk? says he. I told him
40
Memoirs oj
yes, and you must believe in bim if you
would be bis friend. He said he did believe
what I told bim. He has not learned to un¬
derstand English, but I spoke in Owhyhee.
I took him with me to the minister’s house
on Sabbath evening, so 1 told him in Owby-
bee w bat Mr. Allen the minister said. He
had been before but could not understand
what was said. I told him what God did
for him in keeping him alive, and bringing
him to this country. He said he liked that
man very much, (meaning God.) He ask¬
ed me many questions again and again about,
God, which I answered. After we went to
bed be said lie’ would never forget what I
had tofd bim. He said when be eat he
would remember who gave him food. The
people where he lived said he might stay
there as he would ; and when lie had learn¬
ed English a little he might go to school.
He did cry when I left him.
In the spring of the year 1 S 1 2) M r. Mills,
the particular patron of Obookiah, w as ap¬
pointed by the Board of Commissioners to
take a Missionary tour through the western
and southern states. Soon after his de¬
parture Obookiah went to sp6nd several
months at Hollis, in New Hampshire. —
46 Here,” he says, “ I lived with two good
men, Dca. E. and Dca. B. and with the
Henry Obookiah.
4i
Rev. Mr. S. While I was in this place, I
became more thoughtful about myself. I
attended many of the young people’s meet¬
ings, and I was qute happy. But I was
now taken sick of a fever at the house of
Dea. B. I was very weak and was not
able to answer to the questions of those who
came to visit me. Then thought l, where
shall I go for a physician, but unto thee !
Death had but a little fear. I continued
sick for live weeks. The whole iamily of
Dea. B. were very kind. 1 was treated
with the most affectionate care during the
whole of my sickness. Doctor C. was a
very kind and friendly man. He was a pi¬
ous man and good Christian. Many times
be prayed with me while I was upon my
sick bed.
“ One day Mrs. B. asked me whether I
was willing to die and leave this world of
sin and go to the better. To which I re¬
plied that I should have no objection if God
should do with me as it seemed to him fit.
She added, “ Do you remember the good¬
ness and the kindness of God toward you V9
I answered yes — For I have neither a fath¬
er nor a mother, nor a brother nor a sister
in this stranger country but He. But O !
am 1 fit to call him my father ? « Whosoev¬
er doeth his will the same is a child of
D 2
42 Memoirs of
God.” No longer after my complaint was
over I began to experience hope in religion.
I thought often concerning the happiness of
another world and eternal realities. But
m v mind and my heart of wickedness would
often turn back to this w orld : (if 1 do not
think about the serious things.) Many times
I meet with dark hour. But the greatest
part of the time 1 took much comfort and
happiness, both in my secret prayer and in
serious conversation with others. I thought
now with myself that 1 have met with a
change of heart. It was so if I mistake
not. For the Lord Jesus did appear as
chiefest among ten thousand, and one al¬
together lovely ; and his mercy appeared
to be welcome to a sinner as I.”
In the fall Henry left Hollis and returned
to Andover ; where he remained until the
succeeding spring : when he took his final
leave of that place, and went “ home” to the
house of the Rev. Mr. Mills in Torring-
ford. Here he passed the following sum¬
mer.
During this residence at Mr. Mills’s, he
occasionally visited Litchfield, to see the
person who had been his early friend at
New-Haven. As this was but a short pe¬
riod after his hopeful conversion, his friend
w as anxious to ascertain what knowledge
Henry Obookiah, 4S
itc possessed of experimental religion. To
the questions that were asked him, he gave
answers which clearly evinced that on this
subject he had thought and felt for himself;
and furnished much reason to hope that lie
had been savingly instructed hy the lloly
Spirit. « How does your own heart appear
to your” was a question put to him. To
which lie replied, “ O black, very black
“ But you hope you have a new heart, how
did it appear to you before it was chang¬
ed ?” « Mud” he said « all mud.”
His conversation was at this time much
upon the subject of religion, and beseemed
lor so young a Christian, to be in an un¬
common degree heavenly minded. He said,
« When T at home — at Torringford — out in
the field I can’t help think about Heaven.
I go in a meadow — work at the hay — my
hands — hut my thought — no there. — In
Heaven — all time — then 1 very happy.
He had already acquired a very consider¬
able knowledge of the Scriptures. He
quoted passages appropriate to almost eve¬
ry subject of conversation. It was evident
that his mind dwelt upon the truth of the Bi¬
ble and that he found much of his habitual
pleasure in searching out the less obvious
treasures which it contained. He manifes¬
ted great inquisitiveness with regard to
44 Memoirs oj
passages of Scripture whose meaning he
did not entirely comprehend. Many pas¬
sages were the subject of enquiry. One
only is recollected. “What our Saviour
mean,” said he, “ when he say ‘ In my
father’s house are many mansion*— <1 go
prepare a place for you.’ What he mean,
* I go prepare a place ?’ ”
The readiness and propriety with which
he quoted' passages of Scripture on every
occasion, were particularly noticed by all
who conversed with him. In one of his
visits he asked his friend, who was now in
the study of Divinity, to go aside, as if he
had something of importance which he
wished to reveal. But it appeared that it
was his object to converse with him upon
the subject of accompanying him to Owhy-
hee. He plead with great earnestness that
he would go and preach the Gospel to his
poor countrymen. Not receiving so much
encouragement as he desired, he suspected
that his friend might be influenced by the
fear of the consequences of attempting to
introduce a new religion among the hea¬
then. Upon which, though lie had now
just begun to lisp the language of the scrip¬
tures, he said, « You [raid ?” You know
our Saviour say, < He that will save his life
shall lose it ; and he that will lose his life for
mij sake , same shall save it.”
Henry Obookiah •
45
His own fearlessness and zeal on this
subject he exhibited about the same time to
an aged Minister who asked him why he
wished to return to Owhyhee. He replied,
“to preach the gospel to my countrymen. JJ
He was asked, \vbat he would say to them
about their wooden gods. He answered,
“ Nothing.” “ But,” said the clergyman,
“ suppose your country men should tell you
that preaching Jesus Christ wras blasphe¬
ming their gods, and should put you to
death ?•” To this he replied with great em¬
phasis, “If that be the will of God, I am
ready , I am ready.” • •
* “ In tlie fall of J813, Henry was invited
by James Morris, Esq. of Litchfield to
spend the winter in his family* and attend
the public grammar school, of which for
many years he had been Precaptor. Here
Henry commenced the study of English
grammar, geography and arithmetic, in
which he made during the winter very con¬
siderable progress. In the spring of 1814,
he returned to Mr. Mill’s, and spent the
summer, principally in labouring on the
farm. At the annual meeting of the North
Consociation of Litchfield county, in the
fall of 1814, Henry, by the advice of hi s
friends, applied to that body to take him
tinker their care, and give him counsel and
46
Memoirs of
direction as to his studies arid other con¬
cerns. Tiie Consociation voted to comply
with his request, and appointed a board
consisting of three persons, to superintend
his education, and report to the Consocia¬
tion annually.
After Obookiah was taken under the care
of the Consociation, he pursued his studies
under the direction of their committee, so
far as the charity of iiis Christian fr ends
furnished him with the means. He was
obliged to labour a part of the time for his
ovn support ; and to. change from time to
tin.e his place of residence* The evidences
of his Christian character in the* view o*f
those who had most: opportunity to observe
him, were continually brightening. He
discovered a strong relish for the Bible $
was constant in reading it; and seldom
would any object or circumstances prevent
his reading daily some portion of the Scrip¬
tures. Occasionally, when requested, he
has prayed and spoken in social religious
meetings, and always performed these ser¬
vices to the acceptance, and it is bel eved,
to the edification of those present.**
I he summer of 1814 Henry spent at
lorringford. “In the beginning.of sum-
y " Narrative of Heathen youth.’’
llcnry Obotkiah. • 47
mer (lie says) my friend, Mr. M. whom I
loved, returned from his missionary tour.
I received him with joyful salutation. Sev¬
eral times he asked me how my wicked
heart get along while 1 was hoeing corn.—
But I was still fearful to tell whether my
heart was changed or not.
“ At this time, Mr. M* wished me to go
and live with the llev. Mr. Harvey of Go¬
shen. This was pleasing to me, and i went
to live with Mr. H. and studied geography
and mathematics. And a part of the time
was trying to translate a few verses of the
Scriptures into my own language; and in
making a kind of spelling book ; taking
the English alphabet, and giving different
names anil different sounds — for. this lan¬
guage was not written language.) 1 spent
some time in making a kind of spelling-
book, dictionary, grammar, &c..
“ While I* was in this place with. Rev.
Mr. Id. I took more happiness upon my
knees than I ever did before ; having a good
room to study, and being alone the greatest
part of the time. Many happy and seri¬
ous thoughts were coming into, my mind
while I was upon my bed in the night. Ev¬
ery thing appeared to be very clear to my
own view. Many times the Lord Jesus
appeared in my mind to be the most great
43 Memoirs of
grace ami glorious. O what happy hours
that I had in the night season ! I thought
sometimes before, that religion was a hard
thing to get it — making many excuses for
pray hour, and kept putting oil* frorh time to
time^ and thought it would become easier
sometime at hand. But this kind of feel-
ingled me far beyond all happiness# Many
times I lived as a man that travels up to a hill
and then down. But it was nothing that
hindered me hut my own wicked heart, and
because [ did not repent for my sin.
fi I seeked lor the JLord Jesus for a long
time, but found him not. It was because 1
did not seek him in a right manner. But
still l do think that I have found him upon
my knees. The Lord was not in the ivind ,
neither in the earthquake, nor in the Jire, but irt
smalt voice .
“ About.this time I thought with myself
to join with some church. 1 wished to give
every thing up for the glory of God', to
give up my whole soul to him, to do with*
me as he pleaseth. I made known these
things to the Rev. Mr. H. and he thought
it would be better for me to make a profes¬
sion of religion. He wished me to go and
see the Rev. Mr. M. and the. people whom
I have been acquainted with, and talk the
matter over with them ; for X longed to be.
49
TIenrtj Obookiah.
I therefore went nml conversed with my
good friend and father l\l* concerning* my
case. AH the matter seemed to him well;
He wished me to come over on the next
Sabbath and attend my examination. X
staid -at Goshen until the approaching of
the Sabbath which was appointed, and then
went over to Torringford. X thought while
X was travelling, that 1 was going home to
iNew Jerusalem - to the welcome gate.
As l walked along X repeated these words,
s< IV turn have I in heaven but thee ? and
there is none upon earth that I desire besides
Mee.” X was received into the church of
Christ in Torringford, on the ninth day of
April, in the year 1815. The following is
the text which the Rev. Mr. M. preached
.iron : *» I will b> ng.ihe blind by a way that
they, Knew not ; I will lead than in paths that
they have not known.”
Previously to the time appointed for the
admission of Obookiah into the church,, he
requested Mr. Mills to give him an oppor¬
tunity, if lie thought it proper, at the time
of his admission, “ to speak a few words
to the people.” j\; v« ills readily consent¬
ed — but from son' particular circumstan¬
ces, lie did not recollect, at the proper rime,
Henry's request, and it was neglected.
After the public services were closed and
50
Memoirs of
Mr* Mills had retired to his study, Henry
went to him with a broken heart, and said,
“ You no let me speak, sir — I sorry.”
Mr. Mills was much affected, but there was
no remedy. But, said he, What did you
wish to say, Henry V9 He replied, « I
want to ask the people, what they all wait¬
ing for ? they live in Gospel land— hear all
about salvation — God ready — Christ rcbdy
— all ready —Why they don’t come to
follow Christ ?”
Although Henry became a member of the
church at Torringford, he still continued
his residence with the Rev.* Mr. H. ajfc Go¬
shen. “ Here,” . he says, “ I lived a little
more than a year, and was treated with the
most affectionate and kindest treatment. I
was now taken under the care of the Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions,
with a view to my future employment to be
as a missionary to my poor countrymen _
who are yet living in region and shadow of
death — without knowledge of the true God
and ignorant of the future world— -have no
Bible to read— no Sabbath— and all these
things are unknown to them. With them I
feel and expected to spend the remaining
part of my days in the service of our glo¬
rious Redeemer, if the Almightv should
spare my life, i often feel for them in the
Henry Obookiah. 51
night season concerning the loss of their
souls, and wish many times to be among
them before I am fit to come to them— for
1 long to see them. O that the Lord would
pluck them from the everlasting burning!
and that the Lord may be their God and
may they be his people — and be' made par¬
takers of Uie inheritance of the saints in light .
O what a happy time I have now, while
my poor friends and relations at home are
perishing with hunger, and thirsty, want¬
ing of Divine mercy and water out of the
well of salvation. -May the Lord Jesus
dwell in my heart and prepare me to go
and spend the remaining part of my life
with them. But not my will , O Lord, but
ihy will be done . May J live with them as a
stranger and pilgrim upon the earth as long
as I live*: and spend and be spent in the
service of tlfe Redeemer. May the Lord
teach me to live in his fear, to do his will
and to live devoted to his service.”
The following extracts are taken from a
letter written by Obookiah whilst residing
at Goshen : dated
April 24, 1815.
“ - — — , I knew not what was my
business when at first time I set out from
home— only a boy’s notion. Because I
52
Memoirs of
have no lather and no mother, I therefore
thought of it, I must go and see the world,
and* see what I can find. I never heard
any thing about Jesus, and heaven, and
hell. Well, after I heard about these
things, I heard that Jesus was the Son of
God, and that he has came into the world
to save sinners ; the evil spirit then coming
into my mind, and said that there was none
neither heaven nor h.ell. i could not be¬
lieve it. Sometimes when some good peo¬
ple talked with me on this subject, I was
but just hate to hear it.
“ * hope that you and I may meet, though
at present unknown to each* other, in the
eternal Avorld ; w here many come from the
cast and from the wjest, and from the north
and from the south, and sit down together
in the kingdom of Christ But PdoVome-
times think often that I shall never see that
holy and happy world. I am \ery afraid,
because [ was a' great enemy to God, and
have fought against his grace and his lov¬
ing-kindness towards me.
“Oh ! my dear friend, do not forget to
pri)y fpr me before our heavenly Father,
when you are alone. Pray for me, and
lor my poov. < - vestrymen, and for others,
that we may tpe from the wrath to
come. .Those that have been faithful to the
53
Henry Obookiah.
Lord Jesus Christ, the same shall he saved ;
and those that have done evil shall coine to
the resurrection of damnation.
« There is no great consequence wher¬
ever we may he called, if we only keep our
hearts right before God. We are under
peculiar obligation to consecrate ourselves
wholly to the glory of God. But we know
that our deceitful hearts are apt to run
down, even as a clock or watch is. A good
clock will keep good time by winding it up ;
but if we don’t, it certainly will run down.
For « this people,” said our Saviour,
“ draweth nigh unto me with their mouth,
and honoreth me with their lips, but, their
heart is far from me.” My wicked heart
lias been just as those clocks which run
down very often. But I hope I love the
Lord Jesus Christ. I am willing to give
up every thing, both my soul and body, for
time and eternity. God can do all this.
“I can do all things,” said the apostle,
“ through Christ,” &c.
« My dear friend, do not forget to pray
for William — pray that he may ever have
joy in the holy presence of God, and may
lie be made a good soldier of the cross of
Christ. There is reason to hope that his
heart will be changed, for God will have
mercy on whom he will. I wish that he
54
Memoirs of
could live with me, so that I could do all
what I can for him. God* in his holy
providence, has brought him and me from
the heathen land. Because of the weakness
of our faith and our selfishness, the gold
and silver are tempting to the soul. O I
can sinners expect to walk the golden streets
without a perfect heart ; or how shall we
live with him without being born again.
“ There is no way I can see for sinners
but to go to Christ. “ I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No man comcth unto
Jhe Father but by me,” said the Saviour.
“ At that day shall ye know that I am in
the Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
1 he Lord Jesus is all ready and waiting
for sinners, and inviting them to come to
him immediately without delay.
“ May the Lord direct you, and make
you a faithful laborer in the Lord’s vine¬
yard.”
The following extracts are from a letter
written to the Rev. E. T. F. at Ncw-Ha-
ven, dated
“ Goshen, June 4, i 815.
“ My dear Friend, .
“I received your kind letter which
came into my hand this day with great
pleasure. You desire me to let you know
Henri) Obookiah. 55
the present state of my feelings. I have
no objection, but I have not much to say
on this subject. You know when I was at
Andover, there 1 was in full concern about
my soul, and knew then that I was but a
dying worm of the dust, and I knew I was
poor sinner. And now I lupe that the
Lord Jesus will be my eternal portion, and
direct me evermore. I have nothing to do
hut to be thankful for all the privileges and
blessings which I enjoy. I know that God
will have mercy on whom he will — and
with such promise, our souls must rest in
God.
“ 0 my dear friend, do not cease to pray
for me, and for Tennooe, and for the poor
ignorant people at Ovvhyiiee : and pray, for
the poor people in this country as well as
the heathen, for their hearts are not with
God, and their ears are much deafer than
that of the heathen — when they hear the
word of God on every Sabbath, and can
read the Holy Scriptures. O may the Lord
bless us all with an increase of his grace.
1 hope you will never forget to write to me
when you can, and tell me what religious
experience you know 1 am ignorant of.
“I want to see you about our Grammar;#
* An Owhybean Grammar which he was employed in
Snaking with the aid of Mr. F.
56 Memoirs of
I want to get through with it. I have been
translating a few chapters of the Bible into
the Owhyhee language. I found I could
do it very correctly.
“ I hope that the great God will be gra¬
cious to you, and make you a faithful min¬
ister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. « Walk
by faith, and not by sight.’ ”
Extracts from a letter to Mr. S. B. f. a
member of Yale College.
“ Goshen, June 9, 1815.
“ My dear Friend ,
“ I improve this opportunity to write
to you a few lines. When you was up here
last, you know that I was quite unwell then.
On that account I could not talk much with
you when you was speaking on the religious
subjects.
“ O my* friend, what is our rule ? Is not
the word of God, which is contained in the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament :
Certainly it is. But we are apt to hate to
put away sins, for they are sweeter than
the grace of God.
<kO my dear friend, let us continue in the
hope of the glory of our Redeemer, with
true hearts, in full assurance of faith.
Cease not to pray for the fatherless as I am.
O what a wonderful thing it is that the hand
Henry Obookmh.
57
of the Divine Providence has brought me
here, from that heathenish darkness where
the light of .Divine truth never had been.
And here have I found the name of the
Lord Jesus in the Holy Scriptures; and
have read that his blood was shed for many.
And I remember his o\Vn words 'which he
said, « Father forgive them, for they know
not what they do.”
“ Do not forget to mention ms and Ten-
nooe before our heavenly Father when you
are alone by yourself, tijat we may not en¬
ter into temptation, and that our souls may
have rest in God. I hope to hear from you
before long. . When, you write to me, if
agreeable. to you, L wish you to give me
some information of religious experience,
& c. and how a Christian feels, be. be. I
hope that the Lord will be with you ; and
may your journey through this vale of tears
be sweetened by the precious religion of the
blessed Saviour. May He ‘Who is 'rich in
mercy, and abundant in grace and good¬
ness, bless you with an increase of : is mer¬
cy, and make, you a faithful soldier of the
cross of Christ.”
In another letter to one of his countrymen
residing at Boston, lie says,
.« “ i doubt not that you have seen some
58 Memoirs of
people in this country, as much as 10, 20,
30, 40, 50, and 60 years of age, still neg¬
lecting religion from year to year : and ad¬
ding sin to sin as long’as. they live. This
•will not do: for God hatlrsaid, “My Spirit
shall not always strive with man.” But
alas, sin is a lovely friend to a sinner. He '
will not get away from his sins for a thou¬
sand worlds. « O ,” sinner, « taste and see
that the Lord is good,”
“ Do write me a long letter without de¬
lay, and tell me how did God appear to you
at first, and tell me what is your first ob¬
ject if you should return home,” &c.
The letter which follows was taken from
the “ Vermont Adviser,” and was written
to a young gentleman in Middlebury. To
what extent the language was altered be¬
fore it was inserted in the “ Adviser” is
unknown.
* “ Goshen, Sept. 25, 1814.
“ Lear Friend,
“ It is long since I saw you when you
had kept Mr. B.’s store at. Torringford :
you are by no means forgotten. I conclude
that you are probably in the best place. I
am contented. Undoubtedly your present
situation affords the best opportunity to
pursue your studies and is hoped that you
Henry Ubookiuh.
59
have also good religious instructions and
cautions. I hope you remember that the
true friends of God may have -pleasure
wherever they are, if they make it their
chief concern to glorify, love, and please’
him : but those who do not, have no right
to expect pleasure any where. In whatever
place we are, we have much that we can
and ought to do for God. Our first care
should be to keep our own thoughts right.
We should think much on that great and
holy Being, that formed us ; on his holi¬
ness and abhorrence of every sin ; on our
constant dependence upon him ; how many
blessings he is conferring upon us, and how
little we deserve them, and how undone and
unthankful we are for them ; or our deserv¬
ing evil instead of good; and how abomi¬
nable we are in his sight, whenever we do
evil. Wre should think often on death and
our appearing before the eternal Saviour
in judgment. We ought not only to read
the Bible often, but to pray often that we
may know of the salvation, and understand
and be assisted to live according to it ; and
this would aid us very much in keeping our
thoughts. If we exercise sufficient care
over our thoughts, our outward conduct
also will be good. But if we employ our
minds, one moment, on foolish or useless
60
Memoirs of
things, we shall not only offend God
by that, but we shall be liable to fail into
outward •sins, and 'so endanger our own
souls, and encourage other in the same evil •
and their wickedness will encourage other,
ami so on. We cannot conceive the dread¬
ful consequences of one sin, and we are
very apt bo forget bow prone we are to fall
into sin. We are very apt likewise to sat¬
isfy ourselves with what we intend to do
hereafter, and to forget our present duty.
The truth is, all our time is made up of
present time, and all we need* to care is,
that we may all the time do the best we can
for our great Creator* this present minute.
All that we can possibly do is hut a little ;
for all we have and all we are is God’s, and
we can never atone for one of all our sins,
hut we must trust altogether in the merits
of Christ. But now my dear friend 1 hope
you- will strive to improve all your time
well $ and that may the God will be gracious
to you ; and make you faithful and useful as
long as you live here in the world.
“ I wish you would write to me as soon
as you can, when you can. I concluded to
be here with Mr. Harvey this winter j and
whenever you come this way, I should be
glad to see you here. Mr. and Mrs. Ilar-
vey, they are very agreeable and kind, i
Henry Obookiah .
{I
was very much pleased with them. I saw
your father at Torringford some time ago ;
he wished me to write to you when I could,
I told him 1 would.
“ One thing I must mention to you, that
is, we must always continue in our prayers
before our heavenly Father, that we may
all become followers of those, who through
faith and patience inherit the promises.
But now I must close this subject.
Your affectionate friend,
Henry Obookiah.”
In October 1815, Obookiah left Goshen,
and went to reside in the family of the Rev.
Mr. Prentice of Canaan. At this period
the history of In’s past life terminates. He
commenced writing it soon after he remov¬
ed to Canaan, at the request of his instruc¬
tor, as a daily exercise. It was completed
in the beginning of the succeeding year.
In March be commences a Diary ; which
be continued till the close of the summer :
when he changed again his place of resi¬
dence, went to South Farms, and soon after¬
ward to Amherst in Massachusetts. From
this time the nature of his employment was
such that the Diary was either suspended,
or continued only at intervals, and not pre¬
served.
F
62
Memoirs of
The following* are extracts from the
Diary.
March 5, 1816. This evening I attended
a conference at the house of Dea. B. It
was a very solemn time. Many appeared
to be very serious and attentive ; though J
was in fear it was not so in the heart. Kev.
Mr. P. made some observations from these
words, *• Why sit we here until we die ?”
By hearing these words my mind was much
concerned, and 1 felt as though I was still
enough in my own sin. “ What shall I
do ?” said l to myself. The answer was.
work faithfully with your own heart. With
these thoughts coming into my mind, I
found peace and joy. O that I might un¬
derstand the work of my own heart.
. 6. I have just now been thinking
of the prophet Elijah : how he prayed to
his God, when he went up to the top of the
Mount Carmel, and how he put his face be¬
tween his knees and* prayed to the God of
Heaven. O, how much better it is to spend
time now in such a way of praying, than
to wait until the time of prayer may be
over. What should hinder the heart from
being busy in prayer to God secretly, while
the hands are full of any business what¬
ever ?
Ilenrij Obookiah.
63
. 8. This day is very dark. My
mind has been quite down by reason of my
barrenness. But Christ lias appeared as
“ chiefest among ten thousand, and alto¬
gether lovely.” In Christ have 1 found
the light of comfort and joy. Whatever
joy and comfort I receive from God, my
heart is bound up with thanks ; but at the
other time I become forgetful ; as if 1 was
carrying away by my own sin, as far as
where it was not to be remembered what
God had done for my soul.
. 9. I have had this morning a sol¬
emn visit from two joung gentlemen* (mi-
known before,) who were of the most pious
and amiable characters Their conversa¬
tions were sweet to my soul. They con¬
tinued with me in my room during the space
of two hours, then we prayed together. —
Soon they bid me farewell and went. .1
then returned into my retirement and oflfer-
ed up thanks to God for such serious and
solemn conversation. I prayed with a free
and thankful heart. 0 what a glorious
time it was ! 1 never prayed to God with
so full view of God’s goodness as 1 did then.
It seemed as if God was teaching my wick¬
ed heart how to pray. I felt so easy that
I could not help crying, Lord, Lord, in¬
crease my faith. ] continued thus for sev-
64
Memoirs of
eral days, then that dark hour came on ;
though not very dark, for I had a little
spark of light — and that spark of light was
given for an answer to such secret prayer
as I offered up to God in my heart. O that I
might continually watch in my heart that
I may not enter into temptation and snare
of the Devil.
...... 10. To-day I rejoiced greatly to
hear many glorious news from almost eve¬
ry quarter and town in the state, that many
sinners were brought to bow to Jesus, and
many were enquiring for what they should
do to be saved.
. 19* I attended this evening a ve¬
ry solemn meeting as ever I attended. A
sermon was preached by the Rev Mr. H.
from these words : “ The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit,” kc. Many appeared
with a thoughtful and serious look But
O, may they not be as those hearers who
hear the words, and after all hide them
from their hearts, as I do fear there are
many.
No doubt but many young people at¬
tend frequently such meetings, for the pur¬
pose of seeing others : their looks, dress,
&c. by these their minds are drawn away.
O how many thoughtless and careless are
there in the world I Sinners,
Henry Obookiah .
t»5
« You live devoid of peace,
A thousand stings within your breast.
Deprive your souls of ease.”
. 23. This morning my friend Thom¬
as come to me with a sad countenance, and
wished that we might pray together in our
own language. I told him that I had no
objection— that I would willingly do it.—
We then prayed. to that Almighty God who
was aide to help us ; and I believe that our
prayers were graciously answered. Wo
offered up two prayers in our tongue — the
first time that we ever prayed in this man¬
ner. And the Lord was with us.
April 1. This evening my friend Thom¬
as and myself conversed about what we
would do first at our return to our own
country ; and how we should begin to
teach our poor brethren about the religion
of Jesus Christ, #c. : and many other kinds
of conversation that we thought of. And
we both thought that we must first go to the
King ; or else we must keep a school to
educate the children, and get them to have
some knowledge of the Scriptures, and then
we must give to them some idea ol God.
But these thoughts seemed to be blind on
some accounts— not knowing how to do
better without God's direction. The most
thought that come to my mind, was to leave
66 Memoirs of
all in the hand of the Almighty God as he
seeth fit. The means may easily be done
by us, and all other duties which God com¬
mands, but to make all others believe in
the reality of religion, no one could do it,
to open blind eyes of sinners, but God on¬
ly. He is able i( to bring the blind by a
way that they know not, and he will lead
them m paths which they have not known.”
...... 2. As I was just rising up this
morning and looked out of my bed room’s
window, I saw the sun rising in the east,
(Sabbath) and 1 wondered that my life
should be kept so safely during the nig! it
past, and that I was brought to see anoth¬
er day of the Son of man. As soon as I
went to bed my eyes were wide open dur¬
ing the whole night. I thought how many
unready lives were taken before the morn¬
ing comes. This made my heart cry, Lord,
Prepare me, prepare me for death. I spent
the greater part of the night in secret pray*
ers in my bed, and found sweet communion
with my God. « Commune with your own
heart upon your bed and be still.” 0 that
the grace of God may be sufficient for me!
Lord, fill my hungry soul with spiritual
food.
. 3. This day I set apart for secret
prayer, and the Lord was graciously with
Henri) Obookiah.
67
me, and lias given me. some spirit to pray.
It seemed as if I could not enjoy myself
better in any worldly conversations thnn I
did in prayer, i can say as I trust, that
the spirit of God has been with me this d v.
God appears to begracious and lovely. Holy
them art, 0 Lord God of Hosts ! O Lord,
look down with a pitying eye upon t his
thy servant, whom thou hast brought from
a heathen land ! Be gracious to all the rest
of niy heathen brethren who are now in
this country. Do now, 0 Lord, hear my
call. Let not the Lord remember former
sins which were known t< thee.
. 7. This afternoon I attended the fu¬
neral of an aged person. Many people at¬
tended, and many tears were shed upon al¬
most every cheek for the loss of their
friend. But O weepers, weep for your¬
selves, (he was a friend of Christ it is hop¬
ed) for he has gone in peace.
f thought with great astonishment how
little idea we have of death and eternity.
Who can stop the approaching of death ?
May the Lord teach me to know the num¬
ber of my days ! Oh ! that the everlasting
arm may raise my soul from deepest hell ;
and direct my step toward the peaceful
shore of blessed Eternity !
...... 9. To-day is my first year since I
68
Memoirs of
made a profession of religion. I set apart
this day for prayer, and retur ned thanks to
Cod for his wonderful grace and kindness
towards me as a lost sinner. Though how
little have I done towards him ! how little
have I done for his glory ! Shall I live to
see the end of another year ? Lord, in¬
crease my faith.
. 12. To-day the Lord turned me
to look into my heart, to see whether there
be any holiness in me. But I found nothing
but “ wounds and bruises and putrifying
sores.” I saw my sins were very great,
and never were known before. 1 had seen
my own sin before, but the Lord never
shew me so much as I recollect, to make
the soul sink in deep sorrow for sin, as he
did this day. But it was my own blind¬
ness too. When I considered my former
life, and looked into it, nothing but a hea¬
vy bundle of sin was upon me. I pray the
Lord that he may not remember my past
sin. 0 may not the God of Isaac and Ja-
c: b hide from the tears of such dying sinner
as L
I enjoyed myself much this day in fasting,
prayer, and supplication.
. 44 1 have been thinking this day to
know what is the state of man ; whether
they are pure from all sin : — for last eve-
Henry Obookiah,
B9
iiing T had a dispute with a young man. — .
He asked in*1 whether I do believe that we sin
by words, thoughts and deeds. I answered
him Yes Certainly we do, unless we take
heed to our ways — as David speaks for him¬
self in.Ps, 39. “ 0 mortal man,” says he,
“do we then always sin ?” Yes, 1 answer¬
ed. The Apostle speaks, “ If we say we
have no sin we deceive ourselves.”
O how many wTays that a creature can he
deceived !
. 15. 1 attended a prayer meeting
this afternoon and a number have been ex¬
amined to be brought forward to the Church.
1 have thong :t a great deal this day about
my unfaithfulness and ban* nncss since I
made a profession of religion : — how my
wicked heart has turned away from trod in
a most evil and unkind manner. But when
I consider that I sin against my Maker, I
always feel sorry; and all sins which I
commit raise my tears from my eyes : as
I have this afternoon been weeping very
deeply because of my sins. Many times I
am apt to fall into sin ; but if God hears my
crying for forgiveness, I shall still live de¬
voted to him. Is there any thing that we
can be cleansed by from our sins but the
blood of the Lamb of God ? No in no wise.
. 21. O what a solemn meeting to-
70 Memoirs of
day at the house of Dea. B. It was a se¬
rious and joyful time. It seemed to me
that the Lord was with us. I took notice
that almost every person in the room ap¬
peared very joyful. Many persons kept
their heads downwards with tears on their
faces. We had then neither sermon nor
any discourse delivered, but many prayers
were offered up for those who were rolling
sin as a sweet morsel under their tongue.
A number of pious men tried to speak, but
they could not. For the fear of the Lord
had fell upon them, that they could not fin¬
ish their discourse, but to weep. O how
myself felt then. 1 saw that it was the
Lord’s work, who hath power to make sin¬
ners feel, and to shew himself that he is
God alone. O that the Lord may carry on
his work !
May 5. This day I have attended the sa¬
crament of the Lord’s supper. I felt guiN
ty of my unfruitfulness, and had but little
faith in him whose blood is drink indeed
and whose flesh is meat indeed. I could
not help weeping whilst the minister ad¬
dressed those w'ho were to be admitted into
the Church — warning them to be faithful.
On account of this warning I could not put
a stop to my weeping eye— For I felt that I
Henry Obookiah. 71
had had a stupid and cold heart, wanting of
divine grace.
. 8. I have been reading this mor¬
ning the history of pious women, and I was
very much pleased to see and to know how
Christians feel. Their employment every
day was to address their heavenly Father
in secret, and to read some portion of the
holy Scriptures.
......... 15. This day I took a walk for
exercise at the distance of two or three miles.
On my way home I met an aged man, un¬
known before, who I judge to be about sixty
years of age. He was travelling on the
same way that l was, and I thought in my¬
self that I would take this opportunity to
converse with him upon religious subjects:
as it was my duty, (and as I have done with
many other unacquainted persons before.)
As we were walking, 44 What had going is
this!” said he, 44 l have never known such
time as this.” With this observation I spoke
thus — Ought we not to be thankful to our
Maker for such a season as this, as well as
we do for the finest weather ? 44 O yes, Sir,
I think we ought to,” says he, 44 though I
do not feel thankful as 1 ought.” With
this saying, I then asked him to know
whether he was one that was born again of
the Holy Spirit. To which he replied, 44 O
7 2
Memoirs of
I hope so ; though 1 was one of the sheep
that was almost gone, forever lost, yet 1 hope
that 1 am found/’ I asked him whether lie
ever met with any difficulty or trouble in
his mind. He answered, “ 0 yes, great
deal ; but when 1 meet with any trouble, I
wish' to be alone, and pray to God, and ask
J i n for sucii comfort as 1 need. Before I
was brought into lig it 1 thought many times
that the religion of Jesus, was hard thing to
seek for— but it was nothing else but my
own wicked heart. When i came to it in
mv own heart, i found no holiness at all,
but all manner of evils are lodged in it.”
Soon we parted from each ot .er, and we
both wished to he remembered in our
prayers.
June 1. This morning I have been walk¬
ing out for some secret duty. As l walked
through tfie field alone, lo ! 1 heard the
sweet songs of many birds, singing among
toe branches; for it was a beautiful Sab¬
bath morning. While l thus hearked, this
part of a Psalm came into my soul very
sweetly —
“ Sweet is the mem’ry of thy grace,
My God, my heavenly King.
Let age to age thy righteousness,
In sound ot glory sing,*'
I thought of Christians as soon as 1
Henry Obookialu
heard these birds tuning their joyful songs
around the tree. Christians as soon as
they leave their fleshly songs, with their
bodies, in the silent tomb, will be at rest
beyond all pain, death, sorrow and trouble ;
and come around their King of glory, and
tune their golden harps to Immanuel’s
praise; And then say one to another,
u Come let our voices join to raise,
A sacred song of solemn praise,” kc.
. £6* This evening I attended some
serious exercises of prayer with a few
young men of pious character. Five pious
young men came to our room for this pur¬
pose. They appeared to be very much en¬
gaged in the cause of the great Redeemer.
M e spent onr time in solemn prayer for
two or three hours. I found comfort my¬
self easy in every duty which i was com¬
manded by my God to do.
. 23. I was visited this morning by
a pious and good Rev* Mr. H. of L. who
instructed me in a most affectionate and
tender manner ; and has given me some of
the clearest views of Christian character,
such as 1 needed.
i was intreated by this friend of Christ
concerning my future happiness, and was
warned to live above this wdrld with hum¬
ble and tender heart. But O who can
G
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Memoirs uj
know my own unfruitfulness and vilencss,
but He who “ searchetli the heart and tri-
eth the reins of the children of men*” I
felt in my own heart that I needed the teach¬
ing of all the people of God. Many times
I have thought of myself being deceived,
because many evil thoughts come into my
mind and put me out of the right way ; but
in my secret prayers I have always found
happy rest to my poor and immortal soul,
as if 1 was in the right path. O that the
Lord Jesus, who doth « bring the blind by
a way that they know not” may be the di¬
rector of such blind as 1.
. 24. We have heard to-day much
good news from every quarter of the coun¬
try. A work of grace has been begun in
many places, and there are hundreds of
hopeful converts, or newly born by the in¬
fluences of the Holy Spirit. O how great
and how wonderful is the arm of the Lord !
reading forth his hand toward sinners, ami
kindly taking them in his bosom of love.
But are there not many sinners yet in the
gall of bitterness and in bonds of iniquity,
rejecting the free offer of salvation ? Are
not many opposers yet set against the truth
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? O when
slf.:il these never-dying s< Is find rest I It
is very strange to me that so many care-
Henry Obookiah .
75
less and stupid sinners never think or have
any concern for the worth of their immor¬
tal souls. O Lord, I intreat thee to look
down with compassion upon such dying sin¬
ners as are here in this land of th Gospel
light ! O save them, 0 Lord God of Hosts,
save them ! Glorify the riches of thy free
grace in making them the heirs of thy holy
kingdom. O glorious Jesus, thou son of
the Most High, have mercy on the never-
dying souls of men. Thou canst do the
helpless sinner good ; for all homage, hon¬
our, glory, and worship are due to thee;
the true promised Messiah and Redeemer
of the world. Thou canst work among
sinners, and none can hinder thee. O Lord
save us or we perish. I am a sinner as well
as other ; I feel myself an unfruitful crea¬
ture ; and yet I choose the Lord Jesus for
my everlasting portion. I have nothing of
my own to recommend myself to his holy
favour. All the present that I can make
unto Jesus is myself. He seeks not mine,
but me only.
. 25. Last evening T attended a
prayer meeting, and enjoyed great comfort
to my soul. I thought how Christians all
agree in their feelings toward each other,
in lovely manner. I once thought while
we were in the room, in such a little circle
76 Memoirs oj
and enjoyed ourselves in conversing alter
the manner of the flesh? how much happi¬
ness will be found at the great court of the
Almighty, when all the children of God are
gathered together, from the East and the
West, and are set down in the kingdom of
Heaven. What a happy time w ill it be for
Christians !
July 3. My health being weak, I get
out to walk, and at the place to which I
caine, 1 found a sick woman lying upon a
sick bed. She had been in that case for
p^ht years. When she heard of my beng
m the house she wished to see me. I con¬
versed with her concerning her case ; and
though she was weak in her body and mind
she could answer whatever question i put
to her. I asked her whether she was wil¬
ling to leave this world of sin, and to be
present with her lovely Jesus. She replied
" 0 1 1 Shall reach that
peaceful shore where I shall have neither
sickness nor pain, as I have now.” Before
1 was about to leave her, she wished me to
pray with her, and this was done. She
took hold of my hand and begged me to re¬
member her, thus — O my friend, do not
lorget me in your prayers, and if I do not
see you again in this life, 1 shall in better
life than this.”
Hennj Obookiah.
77
... . 17, I have just returned from a
visit to my friends. As I was walking
through the woods I came to a house which
stood at some distance from the town. As
soon as I was come near the house, I found
an old grey-headed man, next to the road
hoeing corn. I saw he was very aged man,
and I thought it was my duty to converse
with him. 1 stood by the fence and asked
him how he did. He answered, *< Well.”
I asked him whether he was well within al¬
so. But he did not understand what I
mean. (This old man was about ninety
years of age, and had been living without
hope and without God in the world ) Im¬
mediately I went to the old man, and spoke
to him in a friendly manner, thus — My
friend, said I to him, you are a stranger to
me, and I unto you; and I see that your
head is full of grey hairs, and no doubt
your days will soon be over. “ I know
that,” said the aged man, « so every one
has got to be as I am.” Well, said I, what
do you think of the great day of judgment?
are you ready for that day? “ 0,1 don’t
know,” said he, 66 I do sometimes think
that I am too far off for that day.” Why
do you not now begin to make your peace
with God, before death overtake you ? said
I to the old man ; repent and believe in the
G 2
7 8
Memoirs of
Son of God. Eat the old man seemed to he
very careless and stupid. I talked to him
but lie kept hoeing his corn ; and I follow¬
ed him to the end of the field, pursuing mv
discourse. But he seemed to be unwilling
to hear me any further, and I returned
thanks to the Almighty God for the oppor¬
tunity which I had with this poor old man.
and bid him farewell.
babbath afternoon, August 5> To-day I
felt more anxious for prayer than 1 ever
did. After I returned from meeting, I en¬
tered in my retirement, where I always
find comfort and joy in my secret prayer
and supplications before the great Jehovah.
I now wished to see my friend Thomas,
wno lived a little apart from me, and 1 set
out to meet together in prayer for our own
good. I went and found him reading the
Bible. I urged him to go up to bis room
with me and be there a little while; and we
took a Bible and went up. We spent some
tmie together m prayer till the sun was
down. O how good and pleasant it is
ror brethren to dwell together in unity/*
ZG b°.th1 lmtZa in Payers, two of each.
Ye m*d ^ Godfop help in the language
of good old David, “ Search us. O God
and know our hearts, and try us and know
our thoughts, and see if there be any wick-
Henry Obookiah.
cd way in us, and lead us in the way ever¬
lasting.” May the Lord be pleased to lead
us both in the right way, and not in the
« way which seemeth right unto a man.
but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
We cried to God further, that he would
teach us his way, in order to walk in his
truth ; and to unite our hearts both to fear
his holy name.
I told my friend Thomas how I felt that
day, and how much I longed to he with him
together in prayer for our poor country¬
men, as well as for ourselves. We both
wished to have our little meeting kept up
until wc should be separated far from each
other. We wished to have no one know
it, but to look to God whenever we both
come together.
The Diary of Obookiah may not have
been discontinued here. A considerable
part of what has been transcribed was found
upon detached pieces of paper ; and other
similar pieces may have been mislaid. The
whole he had begun to copy, but had not
completed it.
The following is a selection of passages
of Scripture made by Obookiah while he
lived at Canaan, the first letters of which
spell his name. It is a specimen of his in¬
genuity as well as his acquaintance with
the Scriptures.
80
Memoirs of
“ Ho ! every one that thirsteth, come ye to
the waters, and he that hath no money ;
come, buy wine and milk without money
and without price,” — ,[sa. lv.
*£ Except a man be born again, lie cannot
see the kingdom of God.”— —John iii.
“ Not ev^ry one that saith unto me, Lord!
Lord ! shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven, but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.”— Mat. vii.
“ Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed
of David, was raised from the dead ac¬
cording to my Gospel.”— 2 Tim. ii.
" Young men likewise exhort to be sober-
minded.” — Tit. ii.
“ 0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us
exalt his name together.” - Psalm
xxxiv.
But speak thou the things that become
sound doctrine.”— Tit. ii.
“ Only let your conversation be such asbe-
cometh the Gospel of Christ.” _ Phil, i
“ 0 that men would praise the Lord for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works
to the children of men.”— Psalm evii.
** Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out
of it are the issues of life.” _ Prov iv
‘ l must work the works of him that* sent
me while it is day : the night cometh
m which no man can work.”— .John ixe
Henry Obookiuh. 81
“ And they went out and preached every
where that men should repent.”-Mark
vi.
« He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
► — Matt. xi.
Henry Ojiookiah.
This was found among his papers, and
the original is in his own hand writing.
The following extracts are from his let¬
ters written whilst residing at Canaan.
« Canaan, Dec. 1815.
“ My dear Friend ,
“Your letter I have received, dated
the tenth of September. It was with great
pleasure. I shall take your advice in the
all-important things which belong to me to
attend to as a professor of religion. I
know the eyes of the Lord are upon me day
and night, and beholding all my wicked ac¬
tions and motions in every thing which I
do. O that the Lord would be my help?
Am I yet in the gall of bitterness and in the
bonds of iniquity ? I neither do justly, nor
love mercy as much as T ought, nor walk
humbly with my God.
“ The work of grace in the town ot S.
is still going on very powerfully. By the
82
Memoirs of
3ast account which I Iiave heard, about one
hundred and forty are in a hopeful state.
They are now rejoicing in the hope of the
glory of God. And many others are en¬
quiring the way to Zion, crying, “ Men
and brethren, what shall we do?” In this
place also, many are in deepest concern
about their souls. 0 where have sinners
been so long since they had discovered the
name of the Saviour, who was crucified up¬
on the cross, and yet they have not come
to him until now? They have known their
Master’s will, but they have not done it.
They are wise to do evil, but to do good
they have no knowledge. O wretched sin-
ncrs will you come to the foot of the cross
at this very moment, and ask forgiveness
of sins? Hark and hear the voice' of him
that knocketh at the door of everv sinner’s
heart ! “ Behold 1 stand at the door,” &c.
Christ the Saviour is knocking, saying,
“ °Pcn to me my sister, my love, my dove,
my undefiled, for my head is filled with
dew, and my locks with the drops of the
mght.” 1 cannot help weeping. My tears
are running down for joy to hear and see
sinners flocking to the Almighty Jehovah,
u that all sinners may come to Christ f
Henry Obookiah.
83
' Stop, poor sinners, stop and think,
Before you farther go !
Will you spoil upon the brink
Of everlasting wo ?”
“ O that we may stop and think where
we are, and upon what ground we are
standing, whether it be holy or whether it
be unholy, or whether it be our duty to do
the will of God or not. We now live here
upon this earth, and how long we shall live
we know not. Death will soon overtake
us, for we are not far from it. My dear
friend, I entreat you to be much engaged
in prayer for thoughtless and stupid sin¬
ners, both in this country as well as in
other.
« I would thank you to present my hum¬
ble respects to all your family. I hope I
shall see them, though at present unknown
to each other, in the^eternal world; if I
do not in this present world. May God be
gracious to you all. Remember me in your
sweet sacrifice of prayer before our Heav¬
enly Father.
Your affectionate friend.”
The pm edi ng letter was written to Dea*
II. of Dauby, in the state of New-York ;
an elderly gentleman who had taken a very
deep interest in the welfare of Obookiah,
84
Memoirs of
ami had written to him a letter of advice
soon after he made a profession of reli¬
gion.
That which follows was addressed to Mr.
E- B - , in the state of New- York.
Canaan, May 18ig.
“Having received yonr most kind and
affectionate letter a few days ago, it much
satisfied me. Notwithstanding that you
are ever so far from me, yeti expect to
me, t you at the bar of God. O howr glad
am I to hear from you Ephraim. 1 am
glad to hear that your mind has been more
engaged in regard to the subject of religion,
than when we lived together. If it is so.
my friend, that you have such thoughts in
your mind, 1 urge you to be careful, for if
is an awful tiling to be deceived. Set your
heart toward Christ,, and in him you may
find help. Our sins are very great and
roach over our heads, and there 'is nothing
wmen can make them smaller or stop them,
but the precious blood of the Lamb of God.
who has all power to take away sin from
the world. The Lord Jesus expressed him
self thus— « I that speak in righteousness,
mighty to save.”
“ You mentioned in your letter that the
religion of Jesus Christ is glorious privj-
Henrij Obookiah .
85
lege. 0 my friend, it is so. We can say
or think that his religion is a very impor¬
tant thing, if any one should have it, but
we are not willing to seek for it. If the
Lord has been pleased to operate on your
mind by the influences of Ids Holy Spirit,
as you trust he has, i hope the Lord will
still continue his work in you through life.
But let me entreat you to put your whole
trust in God ; make him sure as your own
friend, and above all, give yourself entire¬
ly into the hands of your Saviour; who
came to seek and to save that which was
lost. When you write to me let me know
all about your feelings. I long to sec you,
my friend, and all your father’s familyr. I
remember all your father and mother’s
kindness while I was with them ; though I
am in fear that I do not feel thankful
enough to God for it.
“ if you should ever come to Connecticut
do (afe some pains to find me where I am,
for I long to see you with brotherly love.
“ I would desire your solemn prayer be¬
fore your heavenly Father for
Your affectionate friend.5’
To Mr. E. W. of Torringforo.
“ August 5, 181(5.
My dear Friend ,
« 1 hope you will not think it strange
H
86 Memoirs of
that such an one as I should write to you ;
for 1 am full of concern for the souls of oth¬
ers. O that the Lord would direct you in
the right path — May the Lord teach me
what I ought to write this day. I have
heard that your , sickness is still continuing.
But O, how is it with you now? Look now,
my dear Elijah, and see whether you are
prepared or unprepared, or whether you
are fit to die or unfit — whether you are the
Lord’s or not. 0 my friend, consider how
many are there who have been wheeled
down to endless torments, in the chariots
of earthly pleasures; while others have
been whipped to Heaven by the rod -of af¬
fliction. 0 how good had it been for some
of them if they had never known the way
of life by the crucified Saviour. We have
great reason to tremble when the Holy-
Scripture teaches us that few shall be sav¬
ed. Much more when it tells us, that of
that rank of which we are, but few shall
he saved : for it is written, “ Many are
called, but few chosen.” I often think of
you, my dear friend Elijah, since I heard
of your sickness. You perhaps sometimes
think about dying - and what must be your
end— and how you have misimproved your
best opportunities, &c. O what a dread-
iul thing it is to die in a sinful state ! My
Henry Obookiah.
87
friend, how do you expect to find joy and
peace in Heaven if you should die in your
sin ? How have you neglected the free offer
of salvation, which is offered to you “ with¬
out money and without price Haste, O
my poor friend, and get up out of your
sleep of sin and death, and the Lord Jesus
Christ will give you life, comfort, health
and strength — .For there is none but Christ
can do a helpless sinner good. Now, there¬
fore, my friend, haste to look to Christ
with faith, and ask for mercy and forgive¬
ness of your sin. I feel for you, my dear
friend, for the worth of your poor and nev¬
er dying soul. O don't refuse tins lovely
and welcome Saviour any longer : — the
more yo.u reject him, the more you grow
worse ; the more you hate him, the greater
will be your condemnation. O poor Eli¬
jah, choose the meek and lowly Jesus for
your everlasting portion. Consider the
danger in which you now live upon the
brink of everlasting woe. Your sickness,
I fear, will take you away from the world
into a solemn and silent grave. O Elijah,
Elijah W. where are you ? Are you wil¬
ling to leave this world of sin and death
and be at rest? Are you willing to die
now? In time of sickness we ought to keep
our hearts right towards God, in order to be
Memoirs of
8S
cheerfully willing to die. For “ death is
harmless to tiie people of God.” — The
righteous hath hope in his death, but the
wicked is driven away in his wickedness.”
Follow not, my dear friend, after the ex¬
ample of mankind, but after Christ’s— make
no kind of excuse, turn unto God and live.
Be not offended because i have taken this
opportunity to write to you in such a man¬
ner. Let all be taken into serious consid¬
eration. It cannot hurt you tny earthly
friend. And it may keep your heart from
shrinking hack to consider that death is
necessary to fit you for the full enjoyment
of God. Whether you are willing to die
or not, there certainly is no other way to
complete the happiness of your soul. The
happiness of the eternal world of heaven
commences immediately after death. Now
can you, my dear Elijah, say, “ I will
arise and go to my Father and say, Father
1 have sinned,” &c. O why are you so
unwilling to accept the free offer of mercy ?
And why will you still shut Christ out of
the door of your heart ; when he still is
knocking, and saying, « Open to me my
sister, my love,” &c. O poor friend of
mine ! I do not speak of your being poor in
body, but your soul is poor : wanting of
the bread of life. This is why I need to
Henry Obookiah .
89
speak of your being poor : — for without the
love of God in the heart of a man, that man
is poor.
“ If you are a friend of Christ, be not
afraid of death and eternity ; for death can¬
not hurt you, nor your soul. Why then
are you afraid that your sickness is unto
death ? If you were to die in sin — if death
were to reign over you “ as a tyrant — to
feed upon you as a lion doth upon Ids prey”
— if death were to you to be the prison of
hell, then you might reasonably startle and
shrink back from it, with horror and dis¬
may. But if your sin has been blotted out
of the Book of God’s remembrance ; or if
the Saviour hath begun his good work in
you, why should you be afraid of being
taken away from the world ? and why not
bid welcome to the King of terrors ? My
dear Elijah, our lives are short, and they
like the smoke of the fire, are hastening
away.
“ Well if our days must fly,
“ We'll keep their end in sight,” &tc.
“ Remember, my dear Elijah, that I am
not the teacher of the heart, nor the judge
of it. The Lord Jesus is your teacher —
He can make you feel. He can make the
blind to see — and the lame to walk— and
H 2
90 Memoirs of
t’ue sick to be healed— and above all, He
can make you and I happy or miserable in
eternity. All what 1 have said to you, my
friend, will be remembered in the day of
God's wrath. You and I shall both render
our account to that God who hath made us,
at the Day of Judgment, for what deeds
we have done in the body. Whether we
have done every thing right in the sight of
Jehovah, or whether we have not. May
the Lord God of Hosts bless you. May
Jesus make you faithful unto death, and
that you may have at last the crown of
life in the eternal world of glory.
“ You, O parents of Elijah, you have the
means of doing good to your own souls—
to improve your time in the service of God.
Where then shall you be after the return -
ing of your bodies to the dust — when your
bodies shall become food for the worms of
the earth ?
“ Brothers and sisters of the sick man—
Your days will soon be over ; and the road
upon which you are all riding towards eter¬
nity soon will be ended. Remember, 0 my
friends, that the eyes of the Lord are upon
you all, beholding the evil and the good.
Your souls are worth a thousand and mill-
ion times more than such a world as this.
Be careful lest they be lost in the snares
Henry Obookiah.
91
ami temptations of Satan : for they arc
many and ready to carry away your souls
into darkness and despair. O that the
Lord would smile upon you in pity and
compassion, and save you from eternal
death. Look up now, my friends, to Christ
— which is jour life.”
The following letter was written to Mr.
W. C. now a member of Yale College
“ Canaan, Sept. 7, 1816.
My dear Friend ,
“ Our interview yesterday was but
short, and our short conversation with each
other was sweet to my soul. You request¬
ed me to write to you, for which I am now
taking my pen to begin our correspond¬
ence : not because I am destitute of com¬
panions here, but for our everlasting good.
There is one of the best friends who is
above all earthly friends ; even Christ Je¬
sus the Lord. But we are all by nature
the greatest and strongest enemies to him.
« All have sinned and come short of the
glory of God.” We are naturally oppos-
ers to God, and to the holiness of his na¬
ture, and unable to accept of his mercy
which is offered to us without money and
without price.”
92 Memoirs of
“ I have reason to bless Jesus Christ
that he hath wonderfully turned my feet
from the path that leadeth down to an end¬
less woe. There is nothing more that I
can do for him, for his great and wonderful
work in the soul of such an one as I, than
to be thankful for all which I now enjoy.
But this is not all— « Give me thine heart,
and let thine eyes observe my ways.” _ I
hope that the God of all grace has been
gracious to you, as he has to me. 0 that
we both may rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory here and hereafter. The
religion of Jesus which we now have em¬
braced (as we hope we are passed from
death unto life) is a strong helper of the
soul, to help us on to the peaceful shore.
“ I wish I could express my weak feel¬
ings to you, but alas ! I cannot. It is a
difficult thing to tell you that I love my Ma¬
ker more than 1 do any thing else. Truly
I do not love him enough. I have faith in
him but a little — but I am sure I wish to
love him more and serve him better than I
now d°* 0 what a stupid wretch and hard
hearted sinner am I ! Why, should I have
been spared so long, while many of my fel¬
low mortals are gone over the other side of
the gloomy graves ; and I am yet on this
side of eternity. G where are those now
Henry Obookiah.
93
who have gone before me ? Remember, my
dear friend, that we will soon return to the
dust, and leave this world of perplexity and
trouble, and all the useless pleasures in it,
and be for ever miserable, or happy in the
presence of the King of glory. O how
happy it will be for Christian souls to meet
together and uniting their hearts in love at
that time.
When shall I reach that happy place,
And he for ever blest ?
When shall I see my Father’s face,
And in his bosom rest?”
“ It is no matter however long or short
the lives of Christians are, if their besfmo-
ments are well improved, in order to meet
their lovely Jesus in peace whenever they
are called for. Let us live, my dear friend,
as a stranger, and pilgrims < n earth — let
us feel lively in the faith of the Son of God
— let us both seek for a better country than
this — let us be faithful and humble believ¬
ers of Jesus. 1 think I can truly say to
my Lord, Lord my body and soul an* in
thine hands, do with them according to thy
holy will. Thy will be done and not mine.
The happiness of this world is nothing but
a dream. It will soon pass away as the
wind that blowcth. We must give up all
94
Memoirs of
for Heaven, lest we perish at the presence
of the Judge. The best present that we
ought to make to Christ, is to give our
whole hearts to him — and not “gold and
frankincense and myrrh,” as wise men of
the East did.
“ Ho remember, my friend, those that are
around you whose sins are unpardoned.
Do pray for them. Remember my poor
countrymen, who know not the way of life
by a Redeemer. Do not forget to pray for
your affectionate friend,
“ Henry Obookiah.”
Toward the close of the year 1816, Hen -
rv went to Amherst in Massachusetts, for
the purpose of accompanying the Rev. Mr.
Perkins, an agent of the Board of Com¬
missioners for Foreign Missions, in a tour
through that section of the country, to soli¬
cit donations for the benefit of the Foregn
Mission School. The success of the solici¬
tations was greatly promoted by the pres¬
ence of Obookiah. Contributions were
highly liberal, and often drawn from sour¬
ces not before accustomed to yield any aid
to purposes of charity.
The interest which lie bad excited to¬
wards himself personally is expressed in a
letter from Mr. Perkins, written soon after
Henry Obookiah.
9j
his death. “ He was much beloved,” he
says, “ by ail who knew him in this region.
He had awakened a lively interest in bis
welfare among them ; and his death has
cast a gloom over them which will not soon
be dispelled. His recall to the world of
spirits is one of those deep things of Prov¬
idence which we cannot fathom.”
A letter since received from the same res¬
pected source, contains several facts and
observations which illustrate his character,
and evince the peculiar acceptableness and
influence of his visit in that quarter.
“ 1 have rarely, if ever, (says Mr. Perkins)
seen a person who seemed to set so high a val¬
ue on time as Obookiah. What others would
call leisure hours, would be busy hours with
him. When alone, he was delighted in his
literary studies. When in company, im¬
provement was bis object — and if the con¬
versation was not immediately interesting
to him, ne would take his Pocket Testa¬
ment and read, or repair to his study and
his books.
“ At a little circle of friends one eve¬
ning, he said to me in a whisper, 6 Time is
precious, here are a few souls going to eter¬
nity, ’iis a good opportunity to improve/
Just as we were about to retire at the close
of the evening, he addressed two youth in
Memoirs of
the room for a few minutes, on the subject
of religion, with great apparent effect _
Whether the alarm of conscience, which
he was instrumental of exciting, proved
lasting or not, 1 have never known. So val¬
uable was time in his estimation, that if he
had passed a day or an hour unprofitably,
he would speak of if with deep regret.
“ His humility deserves our notice.—
One fact will illustrate this feature in his
religious character.
“ In visiting different towns, it was my
practice to gratify the people, by calling on
Obookiah to address them on the subject of
Christianity. He was always appropriate,
solemn, and interesting. Many flattering
remarks were frequently made to him oil
that account. But though this was calcu¬
lated to foster pride, and inspire him with
unbecoming confidence, yet it actuallvpro.
duced the opposite— humility and self dis¬
trust. A circumstance took place which
justifies this observation.
“ At a village of considerable magnitude,
after the Missionary service had been per¬
formed, the Rev. Pastor of the Church ap¬
pointed an evening meeting. Just before
toe meeting, it was observed to Obookiah,
that some remarks would be expected from
him. He modestly declined. The subject
Henry Obookiah.
97
was urged. He said, ‘ I’m a poor hea¬
then, I don’t know enough to teach people
who live in Christian land ’ Being under
my care, he applied to me to excuse him
from the service. I replied to him, that I
believed it to be his duty. The people had
contributed generously. They were anx¬
ious to hear him speak on the subject of re¬
ligion. You have always succeeded well.
And what yon shall say may prove a savour
of life to some soul. Soon after, as we were
passing to the meeting-house, observing bis
extreme reluctance, 1 asked the Rev, Mr.
B. to urge and encourage him. Many
things were said to persuade him, but his
reluctance appeared to be invincible. As
we arrived at the door, he again fled to me
for refuge. Said he, ‘ Do excuse me — >1
can’t say any thing — You can preach — -it
will do more good.’ I told him I could not,
as the people would be greatly disappoint¬
ed. But when I said this, such had been
his anxiety, and such his manner of ex¬
pressing his feelings? that tears instantly
started in my eyes, and gladly would 1 have
preached for his relief. When the proper
time came, he was called upon to address
the meeting. He deliberately rose, and
addressed the people with his usual propri¬
ety and seriousness- At the close of the
I
93
Memoirs of
service, I passed by Iris pew, and invited
him to walk with me. He was bathed in
tears. £ did not hesitate about the cause—
1 tried much to soothe his feelings, but it
was to no purpose. Mr. B, perceiving them,
made an attempt to pacify him, but was un¬
successful. His soul seemed to refuse com-
tort. I his was on our way to our lodg¬
ings. When we arrived at the bouse,* 1
mentioned bis feelings to the kind family
where we were to lodge. Every expedient
was tried to restore him to his wonted
cheerfulness. But all our efforts were un¬
availing, After about an hour, one of the
family took a seat near him, with a view to
divert Ids mind. This attempt was suc¬
cessful. — And the first sentence he uttered,
was, ‘ I’m a poor unworthy sinner — I feel
as though I was lost.’ His customary
cheerfulness soon returned, ami many in
the little circle, who sat a long time sor¬
rowing, had their sorrow turned into joy.
4* Bible was his best and constant
companion. He always carried in his pock¬
et a Testament, which was presented to him
by a friend, who is now a Missionary to the
Heathen. At a certain time he \vrent about
ten miles to visit one of his countrymen. _
In changing his clothes, he left his Pocket
1 estament. i)i\ his return, he pleasantly
Ifenrij Ohookiah.
99
very
said to me, ‘ Blind man don’t walk
safely without his staff,’
Obookiah’s visit to this part of the coun¬
try was of essential service to the cause of
Foreign Missions. It has silenced the weak }
but common objection against attempting to 7
enlighten the Heathen, that they are too ig- 1
norant to be taught. This sentiment has
prevented much exertion. It had a wickedjJP
origin. We have first enslaved our fellow;- y
beings, then degraded them by every njten-
ial service, deprived them of the means of y
mental improvement, and almost of human &
intercourse ; and because, under these cir-
cu instances, people of colour arc devoid of /
knowledge, we have hastened to the irra- $
tional conclusion, that ail the Heathen are ^
a race of idiots. Adopting this conclusion, -y
multitudes are utterly opposed to making ^
any attempt to turn them from darkness to 1
light. Influenced by this opinion, ground- ,/
less as it is, no reasonings, or arguments, V
or motives, which can be offered, arc of any %
avail. But the appearance of Obookiah r4
has done much in this region to wipe olf this
disgrace thrown upon the Heathen, and to/?
remove the objection so often made. The yt
proof he gave of talents, as well as of piety.
carried conviction to many that the Hea¬
then had souls as well as we, and were as
100
Memoirs of
■apable of being enlightened and Christian*
zed. Acknowledgments to this effect have
frequently been made to me ; and now in
the circle of his travels, there is no occa¬
sion to combat this objection.
Another effect produced by his visit to
this region is, that it has roused the slum¬
bering energies of those who have hitherto
done nothing in the missionary cause. Ma*
have become interested for the benight-
eiKjHeathen, and satisfied that the conver-
-V 81011 them to Christianity is practicable.
W And though they have never before lifted a
Sy tinge r, or contributed a mite, have now
V been prevailed on to do something. In sev-
eral instances, dollars were handed me bv
Vfc pers* ns who confessed that they had never
^ done any thing before. This is an effect
produced, which is not of a transient na¬
ture, but permanent. A feeling in the cause
Vi of missions has been excited, which will not
Vi soon subside.
His visit moreover has enkindled aspir*
> it of prayer and benevolence in the bosoms
of God’s children, which was very much
needed. Coldness and a circumscribed
charity were too apparent. Especially
were these visible with respect to the Hea-
4s then. But now there is evidently an in¬
crease of fervency and holy wrestlings in
Henry Obookiah ,
101
the addresses of Christians to the throne of
grace. They intercede for the unevangel¬
ized nations as though it was their heart’s
desire that they might be saved. Their be¬
nevolent efforts are more numerous, and
more liberal. They not only exert them -
selves in this glorious cause, but they use
their influence to induce others to come and
do likewise. They refer them to Obooki¬
ah as an instance of the propriety and prac¬
ticability of missionary exertion. While
this instance encourages their own efforts,
it greatly emboldens them in urging upon
others the necessity and expediency of con¬
stant exertion in the cause of the Hea¬
then.
Such have been the effects ofObookiah’s
tour in this region. An.d since such are
the effects, and such was his character, it is
not surprising that his death is so much la¬
mented. Many flattering hopes were exci¬
ted in the breasts of his friends here, but a
righteous Providence has seen fit to blast
them — But we have a foundation for our
hopes that cannot be shaken. On this we
may rest the Heathen cause, and feel se¬
cure, while human means and promising
agents arc swept away.”
The following letter was written by Oboo-
102
Memoirs of
hiali whilst at Amherst, to his companions
at South Farms, (Litchfield.)
Amherst, Jan. l, 1817.
44 My Dear Brethren ,
“ 1 lonS to see you all. You may per¬
haps be glad to hear from me, and to know
how I am. I hope you are doing well, both
in your studies, and your religious exercis¬
es of the morning and the evening, which
is the duty of prayer.
I have seen one of our own countrymen at
Enfield, about nine miles from this place.
He has been in that place for ten years,
and two years at Boston. Thus, he con¬
tinued in this country just twelve years.
He did come from Owhyhce and also his
native place was Knihi, (well known such
place.) From that place Capt. John took
him on hoard the ship, and brought him
over here, when he was not but fourteen
years of age. His native name was JNa-
blemah-hownah. Since I saw him I could
converse with him hut little, for he has lost
the greatest part of our language. But he
could recollect the names of many things,
as tar as he was able to describe them to
me. While I was with him he could not
keep ],is eyes away from me for wonder
and gladness, to see such an one who came
Henry Obookiah.
103
from liis own country. I staid with him
two days at Enfield not Iona; since. I s pen¬
ded the whoje of my time with him while I
was there. The first that I did, I took him
by my side, to converse with him upon
serious subjects. Bj his own words I
judged him to be as one who was willing to
accept of the free offer of mercy, though 1
fear he may in a time of temptation fall a-
way, and all that which is sown in the
heart. O my dear brethren and friends,
lie needed your prayers. Pray for him,
that he may be brought to see the good¬
ness of the Lord, and that he may be faith¬
ful to his own soul. Do not delay your
prayers to the Almighty God for such an
one, that is very dear to you. He now
feels as though he was one of the greatest
sinners that ever lived. Do you not all feel
anxious for the soul of your own country¬
man, here now in this country ? O that he
may devote himself to the service of his
Creator ! I observed many times while I
prayed with him, lie would deeply cry with
such a dismal gloomy, as if the wrath of
-tlie Almighty was upon him. I have heard
last Sabbath noon, by a man who was well
known to him, that this young man becomes
more thoughtful ever since I come away.
If this be the case, I would humbly beg at
104
Memoirs of
the mercy seat for your prayers, that they
may not be hindered. I shall see him a-
gain before a long time. He longs to see
you,
May God be with you all.”
Henry returned from Amherst in April
to South Farms. Here he remained with
his countrymen, untill the first of May;
when the school was removed to Cornwall
the place of its permanent location.
He now had his mind bent upon becom-
ing prepared, as soon as practicable, to
preach the Gospel. He paid particular at¬
tention to preaching and made many re¬
marks upon the subjects of sermons, and
the manner of preaching them.
Some observations upon a common de¬
fect in preaching are well recollected. He
complained of the practice of those minis¬
ters, who used such language in their ser¬
mons as was unintelligible to most of their
hearers. Ministers, he said, preached to
persons of every description ; almost all
were ignorant, very few had learning, and
if they preach to all the people, they ought
to preach so that all can understand. They
* This youth is now a member of the Foreign Mission
School, and exhibits hopeful evidence of piety The
impressions made by the conversation of Obookiah were
never lost.
Henry Obookiah.
105
ought to use plain language, if not, he
said, “ as well might preach in unknown
tongue.” Every word, he thought, should
be plain, for “ people,” said lie, can’t carry
dictionary to meeting .”
As Obookiah, at the time of his entrance
into the schoool at Cornwall, had arrived
at an age of considerable maturity, it may
be proper that a more particular descrip¬
tion should now be given of his person and
character.
He was considerable above the ordinary
size : but little less than six feet in height,
and in his limbs and body proportionably
large. His form, which at sixteen was
awkward and uushapen, had become erect,
graceful, and dignified. His countenance
had lost every mark of dullness; and was,
in an unusual degree, sprightly and intelli¬
gent. His features were strongly marked
They were expressive of a sound and pene¬
trating mind. He had a piercing eye, a
prominent Roman nose, and a projecting
chin.
His complexion was olive, varied equal¬
ly from the blackness of the African, and
the redness of the Indian. His hair was
black, worn short, and dressed after the
manner of the Americans.
In his disposition he was amiable and af
3 06 Memoirs of
fectionate. His temper was mild. Passion
was not easily excited, nor long retained.
Revenge, or resentment, it is presumed,
was never known to be cherished in his
heart.
He loved his friends, and was grateful
for the favours which he received from
them. In his journal and letters are found
frequent expressions of affection and grati¬
tude to those who had been his benefactors.
To families in which he had lived, or to in¬
dividuals who had been his particular pat¬
rons, he felt an ardent attachment. One
of the latter, who had been separated from
him for a considerable time, he met with
great delight ; and after tiie first customa¬
ry salutations, said to him, « I want to see
you great while : you don’t know how you
seem to me : you seem like father, mother ,
brother , all.9
In his understanding, Obookiah excelled
ordinary young men. His mind was not of
a common cast. It was such that, with
proper culture, it might have become a
mind of the first order. Its distinguishing
traits were sound common sense, keen dis¬
cernment, and an inquisitiveness or enter-
prize which disposed him to look as far as
his mind could reach into every subject that
was presented to his attention.
ic;
Henry Obo -hi ah.
By his good sense he was accustomed to
view subjects of every kind in their proper
%ht; to see things as they are. He sel¬
dom misconceived or misjudged. By his
companions his counsel was sought, and
regarded as decisive. He had that clear
sense of propriety with regard to his own
conduct and the conduct of others, which
always commands the respect or excites the
fear of those who behold it. Had he been
disposed to cultivate a talent for this pur¬
pose, he would have become one of the se¬
verest of critics upon the manners and con¬
duct of those around him.
Few persons have ,a deeper insight into
the characters of men, or have the potter of
forming a more just estimate of them, by
their words and actions, thanjic had. Fcv
are more capable of perceiving the exact
import of language , or are less iiable to he
deceived as to its real meaning, by a de¬
signed ambiguity of terms.
Mis inquisitiveness existed in relation to all
subjects of interest, and disposed him to make
himself acquainted with every thing that
was known by others and to discover what¬
ever was within his reach. This trait was
exhibited, especially, in his character as a
scholar.
His inquisitive mind was not satisfied
i 08 Memoirs of
with pursuing the usual round of study, but
he was disposed to understand critically
every branch of knowledge to which he at¬
tended. For this reason, his progress in
his studies was not rapid— -but as a scholar
be was industrious, ingenious and thor¬
ough. His mind was also inventive. Al¬
ter having acquired some slight knowledge
of the English language in its grammatic¬
al construction, he entered upon the project
of reducing to system his own native lan¬
guage. As it was not a written lan¬
guage, but lay in its chaotic state, every
thing was to be done. With some assist¬
ance he had made considerable progress to¬
wards completing a Grammar, a Dictiona¬
ry, and a Spelling-Book.
He had also translated into bis native
language the whole of the book of Genesis.
These specimens of his industry and in¬
genuity, when seen , administer severe re¬
proof to the sloth and dullness of most per¬
sons of much greater age, and of advanta¬
ges far superior to his own.*
* In accomplishing (his labour, Obookiah received the
assistance of the Rev. Mr. F. now Professor of Divinit\
in Yale College. I3e had some assistance also from oth
ers. The manuscripts however, are all his own hand
writing; and considered merely as proofs of application,
are greatly to the credit of the industry and enterpriae o{
109
Henry Obookiah .
When Obookiah became a member of the
Foreign Mission School, he had attended
to all the common branches of English ed¬
ucation. In reading, writing, and spel¬
ling, he was perhaps as perfect as most
young men of our own country, of the same
age and with common opportunities. He
wrote a legible, manly hand, and had ac¬
quired the habit of writing with considera¬
ble rapidity. He had at this time studied
the English Grammar so far as to be able to
parse most sentences with readiness. He
understood the important rules in common
Arithmetic, and had obtained considerable
knowledge of Geography. He had studied
also one book of Euclid’s Elements of Ge¬
ometry, and of his own accord, without a
regular instructor, had acquired such
knowledge of the Hebrew, that he had been
able to read several chapters in the Hebrew'
Bible, and had* translated a few passages
into his native language. Be bad a pecul¬
iar relish for the Hebrew language, and
from its resemblance to his own, acquired
it with great facility.*
one so young, and .uninstructed. They could have cost
him no less than the constant labour of many months.
These manuscripts, though now imperfect, will afford
much aid to future translators and Missionaries.
In consequence of this resemblance in the structure
K
110
Memoirs of
The winter before he came to the school
lie commenced the study of Latin. This,
lie pursued principally after he became a
member of the Institution.
n his manners . 0 book i ah was habitually
grave and reserved. In the presence of bis
friends however his conversation was often
sprightly, and rendered particularly enter¬
taining by a fondness for ntimor, for which
he was distinguished. This he oftener ex¬
hibited by a quick perception and relis : for
it in others, than by actually displaying it
in himself. Yet lie sometimes gave evi¬
dence in his own remarks, of possessing no
small degree of genuine wit. When con¬
versing with his companions in their native
language, he frequently afforded them much
amusement by the pleasant and humorous
cast of his conversation.
The customary deportment of Obookiah
however, was serious, and dignity striking¬
ly aracterized his manners Few young
men, it is pr sumed, command so much
respect from persons oi every age and char¬
acter. Notwithstanding the familiarity
which he used with his companions, he
maintained an influence over them, becom-
of the two languages, Obookiah found it much Jess diffi¬
cult to translate the Hebrew, than the English, into his
native tongue.
Henry Obookiah.
Ill
ingthe relation of an elder brother, or even
that of a respected parent. In his inter¬
course with them the dignity of his charac¬
ter was peculiarly visible. A motion of
his head often made known to them his
will, and obtained the compliance which he
desired.
His manners had become in a considera¬
ble degree refined. A gentleman of res¬
pectability who visited Cornwall, and had
a particular interview witli him, observed,
that he had met with hut few persons ©f
any country, more gentlemanly in their
manners, or intelligent and interesting in
their conversation.
Obookiah was a decided and consistent
Christian. His conduct was habitually un¬
der the influence of principles of piety. He
manifested a strong interest in (he general
prosperity of religion, and expressed in his
conversation as well as his letters and dia¬
ry, ardent desires for the salvation of his
fellow-men ; and especially of his country¬
men, for whom tie fervently prayed, and in
whose behalf he often requested the earnest
prayers of his friends.
In his writings, satisfactory evidence is
furnished of his own personal experience of
the power of divine grace. In these may
be seen, his convictions concerning the
112 Memoirs oj
character of his unrenewed heart ; his
views of the grace and glory of the Sav¬
iour ; his entire reliance upon the merits of
Christ for justification, and the employ¬
ments and duties in which he found his on¬
ly happiness through the whole course of
his Christian life.
Besides this evidence, and that which
was furnished by his exemplary conduct,
the following facts will afford additional
proot of his ardent piety.
While a member of the Institution at
Cornwall, lie was in the habit of attending
a weekly meeting with his companions on
Saturday evening ; in which, in addition to
the usual exercises of a religious meeting
he questioned them individually concerning
the state of their minds, and addressed to
them such observations as the particular
situation of each seemed to demand. Oth¬
ers in a few instances have been present,
and have been greally surprised both at
the ability which he possessed of eliciting
the feelings of his companions, and at the
pertinency and wisdom of his remarks.
J?®. °"c® observed to a friend, whilst in
• a t l’ ! 1 ,llave many times so much en¬
joyment in the night I cannot sleep,”
At another time, « when I have done
Henry Obookiah. 113
wrong, lam always sorry — I am so sor¬
ry r
He excelled and delighted in prayer. Tn
a letter from the Rev. Mr. Perkins, who
often witnessed his performance of this du¬
ty in public assemblies, and had also a fa¬
vorable opportunity of becoming acquaint¬
ed with his secret devotions, it is observed,
“ Prayer seemed to be his daily and night¬
ly business : in this duty he not only ap¬
peared to take great delight, but he was
pertinent, copious, and fervent. It was al¬
most impossible to hear him pray and not
be drawn into a devotional frame. I have
repeatedly witnessed great numbers in a
meeting melted into weeping, and in one
instance the greater part of the assembly,
and several sobbing, while he stood before
the throne of God, filling his mouth with
arguments and pleading for Christian and
Heathen nations
“ He remarked to me one morning as we
were journeying, that the night previous
he had spent chiefly in prayer for a youth
who happened to reside in the family where
we had been kindly entertained.”
He was once requested by a clergyman
to attend a religious meeting with him, and
make such observations as he thought pro¬
per to the people. Previously to the hour
K2
114
Memoirs of
appointed for the meeting, he proposed to
the minister that they should retire, and
spend a short time in supplicating the bles¬
sing of God upon the duties they were about
to perforin.
Obookiah considered it as his duty, and
made it his habitual practice, to converse,
as he had opportunity, with persons whom
lie supposed to be destitute of grace, and
urge upon them the necessity of immediate
repentance. In several instances his con¬
versation has made impressions which have
terminated in an apparent conversion of the
soul to God.
After Henry’s return from Massachusetts
lie maintained a correspondence with seve¬
ral persons of respectability, residing in the
different parts of the country which he had
visited. A very fow only of his letters
have been obtained ; and parts of these are
of so local and private a nature as to pre¬
vent their being inserted with propriety in
tins volume.
Extracts from two of them will follow. _
The first was addressed to S. W. Eso. of
Greenfield. 1
a
“ CoitNWAxii, June 16, 1&17.
Mij dear Sir,
“ I take my pen to embrace this
Henry Obookiah.
115
opportunity in writing. Indeed, on this
very day l received a most affectionate let¬
ter ; and when I come to unseal it, lo ! it
was from my dear beloved friend, Mr. S.
W. ! How, or what an answer can I give
for it? My dear friend, I received your let¬
ter with a thankful heart. I rejoice to hear
that you have still a lively thought concern¬
ing the great things of eternity. O that
our thoughts and hearts may he united to¬
gether in the fear of God, and in love of
the Lord Jesus — whom you spoke well of.
Indeed, my dearest friend, we are in a great
debt, both to God and to his Son Jesus
Christ. We have owed them ten thousands
of talents ! and alas ! how would we repay
for all ? Notwithstanding the greatness of
our due to God for all his goodness and
kindness towards us, yet we can repay it,
by giving up ourselves to him : for lie does
not wish for ours, but us : for thus it is
written, “My son give me thine heart, and
let thine eyes observe my ways.” Your
observations which you observed in this
your letter, are just as the thoughts of a
true and humble believer in God — and as
one that fears God. Surely it is as you
say, that the supreme love and affection
must we give to him, who is the Lord over
116
Memoirs of
all and blessed for ever. Pray that these
thoughts may not be mislaid in our hearts.
“ Since I received your letter, my com¬
panions had the curiosity for knowing the
person from whom the letter was sent. I
told them from one of my friends at the
place where I was kindly treated by them.
They were very much pleased with the let¬
ter — supposed that you was a friend of
Christ, and a true believer in God, by what
you spoke well, both of Christ and his char¬
acter. To whom I answered that I had a
strong love for you, and hope that you may
be a fellow-traveller through the journey of
this wilderness world. 6 that we both
may meet in the presence of God in the eter¬
nal world above, where sin will never enter
there. Let us not neglect the duty which
we owe to God to love him with our hearts,
souls and strength— and let us pray without
censing .
“ With this I must leave you, my dear
friend, in the hand of God. Look to him
to receive instruction and to know his holy
character.”
The following letter was written to A. S.
Esq. of Amherst, dated
“ Cornwall, Aug. 15, 1817.
“ My dear Friend ,
“ Your letter of late gave me a great
Henry Obookitih .
117
satisfaction, And since I have received it,
I do now think that I was in a fault for not
giving you an answer for it sooner; hut be
so kind as excuse me. You know not what
joy and pleasure I had since I received
your letter. O what happy news ! It gives
me a suitable joy to hear that the Lord has
visited Amherst once more, with the influ¬
ences of his Holy Spirit, and that he has
already plucked as brands from the burn¬
ing, some of those who once had been desti¬
tute of the Grace of God, and yet are now
bowing down to the sceptre of King Jesus.
O that the professed followers of the meek
and lowly Jesus, be more and more lively
in this most glorious work of our blessed
Redeemer. Let every Christian be more
and more deep sensible that the glory of
every good work here below must come
from God ; as we read that he is the giver
of every good gift , and every perfect gift is
from above. AVe cannot expect to see a
single soul comingoutof the kingdon of Sa¬
tan, into the kingdom of Christ, unless we
see one or more faithful and humble Chris¬
tians, running forward in spirit without a-
ny least of doubt, nor fail from doing what¬
ever duty God required of them. 6 let us
all entreat of the Lord that he would show
unto us of his holy character a perfection,
118
Memoirs of
that we may be able to love and to serve
him more and far better than we now do.
Let us have a more realizing sense of our
ingratitude and unfruitfulness in the eyes
of the all-seeing God ; let us be faithful in
our duty, and may the great grace of God
be sufficient for us all.
<# I have not heard any news since I
came away from Amherst. The only in¬
formation that I can give is the present sit¬
uation of this Institution, under which we
are placed. Our school is going on very
regularly, and the scholars are making
some progress in ther studies. One of our
members is become a born in Christ, since
he has been here, and 1 trust there is no
small degree of happiness. He is now re¬
joicing in the hope of the glory of God. O
that the Lord would be pleased to bless this
school I humbly beg of your prayers for
this school, that each member of it may
become a member of the household of God.
Please to remember me to Mr. and Mrs.
P and family^ Tell Mr. P. that I shall
write to him as soon as I can, but 1 dare
not make any promise to set a time when.
Yours, H. Obookiah.
About the commencement of the year
1818, Obookiah became seriously indispos-
119
Henry Obookiah.
ed, and was obliged wholly to abandon his
studies. A physician was called, and spee¬
dy attention paid to his complaints. It
was soon found that his disease was the ty¬
phus fever ; and a thorough course of medi¬
cine was commenced, which after one or
two weeks appeared to check the progress
ot the disorder, and confident expectations
were entertained of his recovery. Hope
continued to be cherished Until it became
evident that his strength was Wasting, and
that his constitution, naturally strong, was
giving way to the violence of the disease,
which had taken fast hold of him, and had
not been essentially removed. Notwith¬
standing the unremitted care and the skill
of his attending physician, and the counsel
of others called to consult with him, the
kindest and most judicious attentions of the
family into which he had fallen, and the u-
niversal solicitude of his surrounding
friends, he continued to decline, until the
night of the 17th of February; when his
happy spirit was released, ami his joyful
anticipations realized, that he should soon
reueh h/.s heuvenly B cither* s house •
In this last lingering sickness, the Chris¬
tian character of Obookiah was advanta¬
geously exhibited. His patience, cheerful¬
ness, resignation to the will of God, grati-
120
Memoirs of
tude for the kindness of his friends, and be¬
nevolence, were particular subjects of no¬
tice and conversation to those who attend¬
ed him during this interesting period. His
physician said of him that “ he was the
first patient whom he had ever attended
through a long course of fever, that had not
in some instances manifested a greater or
less degree of peevishness and impa¬
tience.
Mrs. S. in whose family he was confin¬
ed, and who devoted her attention exclu¬
sively to the care of him, observed, that
« this had been one of the happiest and
most profitable periods of her life — that
she had been more than rewarded for her
cares and watchings by day and night, in
being permitted to witness his excellent ex¬
ample, and to hear his godly conversation.’’
By this friend a part of his observations
and answers, particularly within a few of
the last days of his sickness, were commit¬
ted to writing ; and are as follows :
To one of his countrymen, as he entered
the room in the morning, after he had pass¬
ed a night of suffering, lie said, 66 1 almost
died last night, it is a good thing to be
sick, S — — , we must all die — and ’tis no
matter where we are.” Being asked by
another*, “ Arc you afraid to die?” he an
Henry Obookiah* 1£ i
swered, “ JVo, I (tm not.” A friend said
to him, « I am sorry to find you so very
sick” — lie replied, “ Let God do as he plea¬
ses”
Mrs. S. frequently inquired of him if he
would hear a few verses in the Bible. “ 0
yes !” was his answer, “ ’tis good” — and af¬
ter hearing, lie \youfd turn his eyes to Hea¬
ven, apparently in prayer. After a season
of great distress, he broke out in an audi¬
ble voice, and said, « If we put our trust in
God, we need not fear.” Frequently, when
free, from pain, he inquired tor some one
to pray with him ; but often before he could
be gratified bis pains returned, and he for¬
got his request. The person whom he
most frequently called upon to pray with
him was his friend Thomas. They often
prayed together, alone : — as they had done
for years. Tn the language of his fe¬
male friend, Their souls appeared to knit
together like those of David and Jonathan.
Henry always appeared composed and ap¬
parently very happy, after a season of
prayer with Thomas. In a season of faint¬
ing I left the room for a moment, to get
some water, returned and found them weep¬
ing in great distress, supposing the time of
separation had now come.” Upon his en¬
quiring for the Doctor, to whom he ap-
Memoirs of
m
peared greatly attached. Mrs. S. said to
him, « Henry, do you depend upon your
physician:"” “ Oh ! you don’t know”, said
he, « how much I depend upon the great
Physician of the soul ” He enquired,
“ Does the Doctor say I shall get well r”
It was answered, “ He thinks it is un¬
certain :” to which he** said, God will do
what is right — God \vill*fake care of me.”
He observed to Mrs. S. “ it is a fine plea¬
sant morning.” She said to him, “ You are
glad to see the light of the morning, after a
dark distressing night.” He replied, “ On !
some light in the night — some tight of God”
“ After a season of distress for two hours,
he appeared perfectly happy — he looked out
of the window hi3 eyes appeared fixed on
some delightful object. I enquired of him,
“ Of what are' you thinking, Henry f”— .
“ Oh ’ 1 can’t tell ijou all” said he, « Of
Jesus Christ .”
After sleeping for some time, he prayed
very fervently, in these words, « G Lord,
have mercy on my soul— Thou kuowest all
my secret sins — Save me for the sake of Je¬
sus Christ, our Lord and Saviour — Amen.”
He said to one of his countrymen, who
had been a faithful nurse to him, “ I must
eat or 1 can’t live” — and then enquired of
him with anxiety, « Have you cat breakfast.
Henry Obookiah.
1 23
W - i How thankful you ought to be
that you have stre right, and can eat-” Soon
he raised his ands and said, “ Oh ! how I
want to see Owhyhee ! hut I think l never
shall — God will do right — he knows Wnat is
best" — and burst into a flood of tears “ W
- , if you live to go home, remember me
to my uncle.”
To dear H. he said, « l am thinking most
of the time, how good God is — how kind to
me,” His companions were mentioned.
He said, <* They are all very good ; they
have done a great deal for me. But they
must be good for themselves too.”
« He appeared very affectionate to all
especially his countrymen. He insisted on
someone of them being \ith ; im continual¬
ly ; would call very earnestly for them if
they were out of his sight ; and would be
satisfied only with this, that they were gone
to eat or to rest”. To one of them he said
« vV - , 1 thank you for all you have done
for me; yo have done a great- deal; but
you will not have to wait on me much more,
I shall not Jive.” To another, “ My car
friend S - , you have berti very kind to
me ; 1 think of you often ; I thank you ;
but I must die G - , and so must you.
Think of God G - , never fail ” To an¬
other, “ You must stay; perhaps 1 finish
Memoirs oj
124
oft' this forenoon. How much God has done
for me and for you. ! ”
The day before he died, “ after a dis¬
tressing night, and a bewildered state of
mind, lie appeared to have his reason per¬
fectly, and requested that his countrymen
might be called.” After they came in he en¬
quired several times for one of them who
was absent, and for whom lie had no hope ;
and said, “ I have not seen him much — 1
shan’t see him — I want to talk to him.”—”
When the rest bad seated themselves around
his bed, he addressed them most feelingly in
his native language, as long as his strength
would permit. As much of the address as
could be recollected, was afterwards writ¬
ten in English by one of his countrymen,
and was essentially as follows
My dear countrymen, I wish to say
something to you all — you have been very
kind to me — I feel my obligation to you — -
I thank you. And now, my dear friends,
I must beseech you to remember that you
have got to follow me. Above all things,
make your peace with God — you must make
Christ your friend— you are in a strange
land— you have no father — no mother to
take care of you when you are sick — but
God will he your friend if you put your
trust in him — He has raised up friends
Henry Obookiah •
125
here* for you and for me — I have strong
faith in God— I am willing to die when the
voice of my Saviour call me hence— I am
willing, if God design to take me. But I
cannot leave you without calling upon the
mercy of God to sanctify your souls and fit
you for Heaven. When we meet there we
shall part no more. Remember, my friends,
that you are poor — it is by the mercy of
God that you have comfortable clothes, and
that you are so kindly supported. You
must love God — I want to have you make
•vour peace with God. Can’t you see how
good God is to you .^God has done great
deal for you and for me. Bemember that
you have got to love God, or else you per¬
ish for ever. God has given his Son to die
for you— I want to have you love God very
much. I want to talk with you by and by
_ my strength fails— I can’t now— l want
to sav more” -
This is probably hut a part of what was
spoken, and that imperfectly translated.—
The address, under the circumstances in
which it was made, was affecting beyond
description. The weakness of Obookiah,
which was such that it was with difficulty
that he could utter an audible sound 5 the pe¬
culiarly affectionate and eamf st. tones ot his
voice, the voice occasionally faltering in death;
L 2
na
, Memoirs of
his companions sitting around him, with
broken hearts — some of them almost unable
to support their grief — the address being
continued until his strength was entirely
exhausted, rendered the scene literally
overwhelming — Loud sobbing was heard
throughout the room ; and from persons lit*
tie accustomed even to weep.
After Henry had ceased to speak, one of
his countrymen, at his request, communica¬
ted in English, to those of his companions
who were not able to understand the Owhy -
hte language, such things as Henry had pre¬
viously committed to him for that purpose.
An hour or two after this, when Obooki-
ah had obtained a little rest, his country¬
man, who had been absent during the ad¬
dress, coming in, he said to him, « Sit
down G - , f have been talking with the
other boys — They have been very kind to
me — I. can’t pay them — but the Lord Jesus
has enough and to spare — not money nor
wine — he will reward them. You, G - ■,
as well as I are a poor boy ; you have no
father nor mother here. God has given us
good friends, and you must love him and
serve him G - ; and when we be departed
here, we may praise God for ever. Wc
must all die. Doct. C. cannot save ns when
we are sick unto death. You and I are sin-
Henry Obookiah ,
m
ners. May the Lord Jesus have mercy on
our poor souls — I must rest.”
To a son of the Rev. Mr. S. who came to
his bed-side, and after looking at him, was
about to withdraw, he said, “ Wait — wait
• — I wish to speak to you. P — — , you
have got to be a great boy— you have been
to school a great deal. Remember you
will be examined at the Day of Judgment,
for your improvement.” To a friend, he
said, “ My faith holds out.” To another,
« How soon shall 1 be taken away r” It
was answered, « pretty soon.” He was
asked, « if you could have your choice,
would you choose to live or to die ?” He
replied, I do not know ; I wish to live to
do good ; if it were not for this, I do not
wish to live another moment.” And added,
with much apparent grief, “ I’ve lost my
time — I’ve lost my lime ” To another
friend, he said, “ / have no desire to live ,
if I can enjoy the presence of God , and go
where Christ is.” Looking down at his feet,
which bore evident marks of approaching
death, he cried out, “ Oh, Mortality /” His
physician requested him to take some med¬
icine which was disagreeable to him ; lie
said, “ Wait, wait, Sir, till to-morrow
but soon consented, and said, “ perhaps
there will be no to morrow.” The eve-
128
Memoirs of
ning before bis death, the Rev. Mr. Mills,
whom lie always called “Father,” came
in to see him. He looked at him very
wishfully, and said, “ Will you pray, Sir,
before we part r” lie listened to the pray-
er with fixed attention, and when it was
closed, said, as he had done in every in¬
stance before, “ I thank ijov , Sir99— and this
with a sweetness of voice, and an expres¬
sion of countenance, which none can con¬
ceive but those who witnessed.
As death seemed to approach, Mrs. S.
said to him, “Henry, do you think you
are dying ?” He answered, “ Yes ma’am”
and then said, “Mrs. S. I thank yon for
your kindness .” She said, “I wish we
might meet hereafter.” lie replied, “I
hope we shall” — and taking her hand, af¬
fectionately hid her farewell . Another
friend taking his hand, told him that he
“must die soon.” He heard it without
emotion, and with a heavenly smile bade
him his last adieu.
He shook hands with all his companions
pjesent, and with perfect composure ad-
dressed to them the parting salutation of
his native language, “ Alloah o’e” — )/«
love be with you. J
But a few minutes before he breathed his
last, his physician said to him, “ How do
Henry ObookiaL
129
you feel now, Henry ?” He answered,
*( Very welt — I am not sick — I have no pain
I feel well ” TIic expression of his coun¬
tenance was that of perfect peace. He now
seemed a little revived, and lay in a com¬
posed and quiet state for several minutes.
Most of those who were present, not appre¬
hending an immediate change, had seated
themselves by the fire. t No alarm was giv¬
en, until one of his countrymen who was
standing by his bed-side, exclaimed, « 0-
bookiafi9s gone." All sprang to the bed.
The spirit had departed — but a smile, such
as none present had ever beheld — an ex¬
pression of the final triumph of his soul,
remained upon his countenance.
DELIVERED AT THE FUNERAL OF
A NATIVE OF OWHYHEE,
AND A MEMBER OF THE
FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL
IN
CORNWALL, CONNECTICUT,
February 18, 1818.
BY LYMAN BEECHER, A. M.
pastor of a church in ljtchfield.
PUBLISHED BY NATHAN WHITING,
Agent of the Foreign Mission School,
S. CONVERSE, PRINTER.
SWSUS10X.
PSALM XCVII. 1, 2.
The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoice > let
the multitude of the isles be glad, thereof <
Clouds and darkness are round about Inm :
righteousness and judgment are the habi¬
tation of his throne .
This language, highly figurative, is em¬
ployed to describe the mysterious events of
the Providence of God. It represents the
Most High as moving onward to execute
his purposes, surrounded by clouds and
impenetrable darkness ; and teaches us that
his ways are not as our ways, nor his
thoughts as our thoughts : that he governs
the world in a manner above our compre¬
hension, and veils his designs in such ob¬
scurity that none by searching can find him
out : and yet that his administration is no
less an object of confidence and joy. t an if
we knew the particular design ot each event.
M
4 Sermon preached at the
Though clouds and darkness are about his
path, let the earth rejoice : Jet the multi¬
tude of the isles be glad, that the Lord
reigncth, for righteousness and judgment
arc the habitation of his throne.
When, however, particular events of
Providence are declared to be mysterious,
it is not intended, that Revelation does not
shed such light upon the darkness as that
we may perceive, in some instances the im¬
mediate, in others the more remote, and in
all the ultimate design of God in what he
does.
The meaning of the text is, that Provi¬
dence, in itself considered, is often totally
inexplicable, and that had we no means but
the dark event, from which to infer the de¬
signs of God, we should often be involved
in impenetrable darkness.
It is proposed in this discourse to notice,
I. Some of the dispensations of Provi¬
dence, which are in themselves considered
mysterious.
II. Some of the reasons why, notwith¬
standing the light which revelation affords,
they still appear mysterious.
L I am to bring into view, some of the
Funeral of Henry Obookiah.
5
dispensations of Providence which arc, in
themselves considered, mysterious. And.
0 '
1. The existence of natural evil is a
mysterious event.
How easy it would seem to be to prove,
from the perfections of God, that no suffer¬
ing can be permitted to exist in his domin¬
ions. He is infinitely benevolent, wise and
powerful. He made all things to illustrate
his glory, which consists in benevolence,
and can misery, produced or permitted, il¬
lustrate benevolence ? Cannot infinite wis*
dom plan a system wliicSi shall include en¬
joyment only, and infinite power carry into
effect the designs of infinite benevolence
and wisdom for the production and perpe¬
tuity of unmingled good ?
How irresistible the conclusion would
seem to be, that no evil can be suffered to
exist under the government of God; and
yet bow fallacious the conclusion.
God is benevolent : He made the world,
and governs it, to illustrate his benevolence :
And still the earth is a vale of tears.
2. The existence of moral evil is an event
yet more mysterious than the existence of
natural evil.
6 Sermon preached at the
God is holy, and he commands all his
accountable subjects to be holy. He loves
holiness, and he abhors sin and was able to
prevent its existence, lie could have for¬
borne to create whom he foresaw would re¬
bel • or he was able to keep them from fal¬
ling. But he did not do it. Abhorring
sin with all his heart, and able to keep it
out of his dominions, he permitted it to
enter.
3. The successful opposition to the Gos¬
pel, which God has permitted, is mysteri¬
ous,
AYe should conclude that the benevolence
which had produced an atonement sufficient
for all men, would make the application of
the remedy commensurate with the disease;
and that the tempter from the beginning
would have been cast into the bottomless
pit, and all mankind, in all ages, from their
earliest years, reconciled to. God.
Instead of this, the God of this world has *
reigned in the hearts of the children of dis¬
obedience, and carried his plans of opposi¬
tion, at times, almost to the total extinction
of the Gospel.
At the period of the deluge, one family
only remained for God, while through the
Funeral of Henry Oboikiah . 7
earth every imagination of the heart of man
was only evil continually.
At the calling of Abraham, the effect of
the miraculous destruction of man by the
flood had ceased, and all, with a few excep¬
tions, had relapsed again into idolatry. In
Egypt, the church was threatened with ex¬
termination, alike by her own declension,
as by the hand of despotism. And in the
land of Canaan, what reiterated apostacies
to idol worship took place ; until ten tribes
out of the twelve went into irretrievable
revolt ; while in the remaining two, the
light of life did but just glimmer in the
socket, until the Messiah came. At the in¬
troduction of Christianity, what formida¬
ble opposition was made to the kingdom of
Christ ; and though at length his cause
seemed to triumph, how soon by the in¬
strumentality of Mahomet and the Pope,
did Satan regain his lost dominion over
man.
The reformation was a glorious event : It
enlightened and emancipated half Europe.
But where is the light which once shone in
the reformed churches ? Succeeded, in some
instances, by Papal darkness, and in many
instances succeeded by the disastrous twi¬
light of Unitarian philosophy ; while few,
comparatively, have watched and kept their
M 2
'$
Sermon preached at the
garments clean, and their lights trimmed
and burning.
“ VYide is the gate and broad is the way
that leadeth to destruction, and many there
he that go in thereat : Strait is the gate
and narrow is the way that leadeth to life,
and few there he that find it,” is a concise
description of what has yet been.
4. The prosperity of the wicked and the
afflictions of the righteous, have always
been mysterious events.
God is holy and just, and it would be
natural to expect, therefore, that he would
govern the world in such a manner as
should display his approbation of the right¬
eous and his abhorrence of the wicked. In¬
stead of this, the wicked more frequently
than the righteous, have been raised to
power, honor, and wealth. They have
been the oppressors, and the righteous the
oppressed— the persecutors, and the right-
eons the persecuted. To all the ordinary
evils of life the righteous have been expos¬
ed in common with others; and besides
t hese, to all the peculiar calamities of per¬
secution.
It was this view of the prosperity of the
wicked and the afflictions of good men,
Funeral of Henry Obookiah . 0
which produced the mental conflict and dis¬
tress recorded in the seventy- third Psalm,
and which the instructions of the sanctuary
alone could remove,
5. The premature death of the pious and
the useful members of society, while the
profligate and mischievous are permitted to
live, is a mysterious providence.
Edward the VI. pious, learned, exempla¬
ry, and disposed to favor the Reformation,
which God also intended to accomplish, died
at the age of sixteen, and opened the way
for the bloody Mary to ascend the throne.
The irreligious and dissipated Charles II.
lived to the age of fifty- four, to corrupt the
nation by his pestilential example ; and
Voltaire, boasting that he would extirpate
the Christian religion, and devoting his
uncommon resources with uncommon activ¬
ity to that end, reached the advanced age
of eighty years ; while Spencer, prepared
for pre-eminent usefulness in the Church of
God, was cut off at the age of twenty-one
In the premature death of the ministers
of the Gospel especially, the Most High
seems to counteract the providential indica¬
tions of his own will.
By the rapid population of our country,
10 Sermon preached at the
the distribution of Bibles, the labors of
Missionaries, revivals of religion, and the
efforts made to evangelize the world , a great
and increasing demand is made for minis¬
terial labor. The cry, « give us ministers,”
becomes more importunate every year. In
this emergency, we should expect that the
Most High would regard with peculiar fa¬
vor the life and health of his ministering
servants 5 that none would be arrested by
sickness or cut off by death, in the course
of preparation : that none just entering the
field of labor, would drop into the grave ;
none be sequestered by ill health 5 and none
be dismissed from their toils, till the ener¬
gies of life had been exhausted in his ser¬
vice.
Instead of this, wc perceive no discrimi¬
nation, unless it be that the lives of minis¬
ters arc more precarious than those of other
men. In his mysterious course, the Most
High cuts down the youth in the midst of
liis preparatory studies, or when just en¬
tering the field ; others fail in the midst of
their days ; and multitudes, long before age
lias enfeebled the mind, or paralized the
arm 5 and still the irreligious are permit¬
ted to live, by their scoffs and pestilent ex¬
ample to obstruct on earth the work of sal¬
vation.
Funeral of Henry Obookiah . 1 I
II. I am to consider some of the reasons
why, notwithstanding the light which reve¬
lation affords, some of the ways of God still
appear mysterious.
There are two general considerations
which render the providence of God myste¬
rious ; the one, resulting from the consti¬
tution of things, and the other, from inat¬
tention to the revealed exposition which the
Most High has given of his ways.
In the constitution of the Divine admin¬
istration, the following things render his
ways mysterious.
I. The comprehensiveness of the Divine
plan.
We form our expectations of what the
Most High will do, as if he had only this
world to govern, and all the effects of his
administration were confined to time ; and
were this the fact, the events of his Provi-
dence would doubtless be vastly different
from what they are.
But lie upholds and governs, it may be,
millions of worlds besides this, and the con¬
sequence of his administration here may,
and probably will affect, all his dominions
throughout eternity. His ways are ever-
12
Sermon preached at the
lasting, and the consequences of his domin¬
ion without end.
The events which we witness, are, of
course, parts only of a series of events,
which commenced their course before we had
being, and which will hold on their course,
in the relation of cause and effect, for
ever.
The wisdom of each event, does not con¬
sist in itself, merely as an insulated event,
or in its immediate consequences, as sub¬
jected to human inspection, but in its con¬
nection with antecedent and subsequent
events, in its connection with the whole
plan of Jehovah, and in its aggregate influ¬
ence through eternity.
But this extended influence and connec¬
tion, can be known only to him who inhab¬
ited eternity.
2. The distance of providential results,
which take place in time, from their caus¬
es, renders the Providence of God mysteri¬
ous.
We arc ever disposed to look at the im¬
mediate consequences of things, and to re¬
gard the ways of God as plain or obscure,
as they accord with, or contradict, our ex¬
pectations. Whereas, many of the most
Funeral of Henry Obookiah.
IS
important results of an event of Providence
to-day, may not come to pass in a century,
or thousand years.
The ten tribes were dispersed S000 years
ago, and the Jews almost 2000 ; and yet,
a most important result of these events, is
to be accomplished by their restoration and
its sanctified efficacy in the conversion of
the world.
The Greeks were raised by the Provi¬
dence of God to great scientific eminence.
But events existing long since the extinc¬
tion of their glory, announce an important
end, for which, in the Divine purpose, they
were thus exalted.
It was the scientific light of Greece, that
blazed upon the empire of Rome, glimmer¬
ed through the dark ages, hurst out again
at the Reformation, and now illumines the
page of the Bible translator, and sanctified
to holy uses, shines more and more to the
perfect day.
5. The contrariety between the imme¬
diate and remote consequences of an event
or course of dispensations, renders the
ways of God mysterious.
The immediate consequence may be ca¬
lamitous, and the remote effect joyful ; and
14
Sermon preached at the
the immediate consequence may be joyful,
and the remote consequences calamitous.
No affliction is for the present joyous,
but grievous ; but it produces often, the
Xruitsof righteousness and peace.
The prosperity of wicked men is for the
present to them an auspicious event ; but,
the latter end of it is destruction.
Jacob in his disappointment, cried out,
“ All these things are against me,” when his
sorrows were preparing for him the over¬
flowing cup of joy And the wicked, while
they rejoice in the beneficence of heaven,
are filling up the measure of their sins, and
fitting themselves for destruction.
4. The most high accomplishes also such
a multitude of ends by the same event, that
bis Providence is dark, often, from our see¬
ing but a small portion of the ends which
he brings to pass by it.
There is such a connection between the
natural and moral world, and such an influ¬
ence of moral agents one upon another, that
every motion of the Divine hand produces
effects in all durations.
W hilc millions sleep, how many holy and
unholy actions are suspended But let the
sun, by the omnipotence of God, be made
Funeral of Henry Obookiah . ] 5
to rise, and how many myriads of percep¬
tions, and thoughts, and motives, and mor¬
al exercises, and accountable actions, good
and bad, will come into being as the conse¬
quence.
The moral exercises and actions of the
civilized world, are effected extensively by
the providential event of peace or war; an
event decided often by the violation of a
single individual, occasioned perhaps, by
some single circumstance. Every wind
that blows, and every w ave that rolls, beais
prosperity to some, and adversity to others,
and produces an indefinite variety of moral
exercises and actions, whose influence will
be felt in all directions.
The death of every individual prevents
an innumerable -multitude of events, which
had come to pass if he had lived, and occa¬
sions an 'eqpal number which had not come
to pass, had he lived. .
Had Bone parte died in the cradle, it had
been regarded as an ordinary event. But
the continuance of his breath has agitated
thd world. Had he gained the battle of
Waterloo, and preserved his empire, that,
too, had changed the tide of events through¬
out eternity.*# *
5. Our incapacity to determine what will
N
16 Sermon 'preached at the
be even the more immediate consequences
of an event,' renders the Providence of God
often mysterious.
The conseqcnces of providential events
depend, to a great extent, on their moral
influence upon free agents; and though it
might be # expected, that .experience had
taught us to infer the effect from the cause,
in reference to mind as well as matter ;
facts evince the contrary. The reason is,
that unforeseen events are always thrusting
themselves in, and changing the premises.
Allow the maxim in reference to mind as
well as matter, that the same causes, in the
sjpwe circumstances, will produce the same
effects ; this only lays a foundation to infer
what the effects will he of an event of Prov¬
idence upon minds, provided all the exist¬
ing circumstances are known, and remain
unchanged; .
But all the existing circumstances of a
single mind are never known perfectly for
a moment, hut by the Omniscient ; and all
the existing circumstances at a given mo¬
ment, remain not as they arc for a day, or
an hour. The motives involved in a course
ol Providence, are endlessly, diversified,
and are constantly changing; and their
complex influence is constantly producing a
Funeral of Henry * Obookiah . 17
correspondent modification of human exer¬
cise and action. To decide then, exactly,
what the effect of a Providence will be, we
must not only know perfectly the endless di¬
versities of the human mind, but that end¬
less diversity of modifying influence which
mingles with the event. JBut this no finite
mind can foresee.
No man can predict, in the morning, ev¬
ery thing which himself will do, or form a
plan* with such fixed purpose, as that unex¬
pected events will not modify his course of
thought and action. Much less can he
foresee the* events which will betide mil¬
lions. and modify endlessly the effects on
other minds of any given providential dis¬
pensation.
This necessary ignorance of the future
consequences yf events, as they will effect
the mind of man and modify the result of
existing circumstances, is the cause of per¬
plexity and. disappointment to* statesmen,
and will prevent for ever what may be ter-
med strictly political science. .
What politician, for example, could fore¬
see the spilling of a little wine upon the fa¬
vourite of Queen Ann, by the Dutchess of
Marlborough, and the peace with France in
•her extremity, which that event' is said to
have occasioned* Indeed, Sir William .Tern-
18 Sermon preached at the
}>le lias observed, that the consequences oi'
the prominent political events in Europe,
have in no instance, within his knowledge,
accorded with the predictions of politicians.
The late William Pitt, endowed with un¬
common political sagacity, formed two gi¬
gantic coalitions, to check the power which
threatened to .subjugate the world : each of
which, though wisely conducted, were
dashed in a moment, and augmented the
power they were intended to limit. And
still how blind was he to futurity ? He did
not perceive that these splendid victories of
Bonaparte were the high road td ruin, and
that the very greatness of his power w ould
occasion his speedy destruction.
He felt as if all was lost, and died ex¬
claiming, Oh my country ! when her deliv¬
erance was at hand.
The sale of indulgences dried up the re¬
sources it was intended to augment, and
the blood of the martyrs nourished the seed
it was intended to extirpate, and augmented
the harvest it w as designed to prevent.
The printing of cheap tracts for infidels,
for gratuitous distribution, to expel the
Gospel from the world, has given rise to
Tract Societies and Bible Societies, by
which infidelity will be expelled from the
world, and the earth be filled with the
knowledge* of God.
Funeral of Henry Obookiah, 1 9
Tlie death of great and good men may a-
waken the fears and excite the prayers, and
increase the responsibilities, and augment
the exertions, of so many, as that the a-
mount of useful exertion shall even be in¬
creased by these seemingly calamitous e~
vents.
The efforts in the land of our fathers to
enslave the conscience, have produced in
the New World liberty of conscience ; and
the measures adopted to secure conformity
to the established worship of England, have
produced there and here, an extended and
perpetuated non-conformity.
The burning of the Serampore printing
establishment, increased the notoriety of
the institution, and interested the sympa¬
thies and secured the friendship, and pray¬
ers and charities of millions, even to the
augmentation of its resources.
But another, and chief occasion of per¬
plexity, with respect to the proceedings of
God, is, our not regarding and constantly
realizing the revealed ends, subordinate,
and ultimate, of his government below.
The world is, in fact, in a state of rebel¬
lion against God : his law regards prima¬
rily the heart, and with the heart no man
by nature obeys the law ; and without the
heart, actions, though conformed to its re.-
N 2
20
Sermon preached at the
quirements, arc not regarded as obedience.
One object, therefore, of the Divine gov¬
ernment, is to illustrate the character of
man ; to bring out his heart, and collect
practical evidence of his entire depravity.
It seems to be the will of God, that mor¬
al character, as it exists in the heart, shall
be illustrated by action. From this rule
he does not exempt even himself. lie
could declare by word his benevolence : he
has done it : but he chooses to display it by
action. He could, as the Searcher of hearts,
announce, and his word has announced, the
total depravity of his subjects on earth.
Hut what lie can see intuitively, his sub¬
jects can sec only by* evidence ; and since
man is depraved, it is his purpose that the
evidence of the fact, to created minds, shall
not rest on his declaration only. Hence he
withholds divine restraint, and permits free
agents to act out their hearts ; and the re¬
sult is, that by deeds they corroborate the
Divine testimony, that ail have gone out of
the way.
And now it ceases to be so marvellous,
that all flesh have been permitted to cor¬
rupt their way before God, nr that idolatry
lias been permitted to darken and torture
mankind, and JVlahomet to extend Ids em¬
pire of delusion, and the man of sin to heal
21
Funeral of Henry Obookiah.
flic deadly wound which the beast experien¬
ced in the overthrow of Paganism. Foras¬
much as men were in fact enemies to God,
and did not like to retain him in their
knowledge, God gave them up to vile affec¬
tions, to prove by deeds what no other ev¬
idence could so fully establish,
it is another object of the Divine gov¬
ernment to exhibit practical evidence of the
malignant and incorrigible obstinacy of sin.
God sees it as it is in its nature : but that
bis subjects may see it, he permits sin to
act itself out. . .
lienee the successful opposition permitted
to be made to his cause. He has enkindled,
and kept alive hitherto, just light enough
of holiness in this world, to call forth prac¬
tical evidence of the strength of man’s ma¬
lignity against it. He could have bound
kings in chains, that they should not take
counsel against the Lord to break his bands
and cast his cords from them ; and he could
have expelled Satan ages since from the
earth, and ended his temptation of man and
his reign in the hearts of the children of
disobedience.
But in that case wicked hands had not
slain the Lord of Glory, and by doing it
furnished demonstration of the murderous
malignity of man’s enmity to God ; and
Sermon preached at the ' 22
had the power of God, in the application
ol the atonement, been commensurate with
its merits and sufficiency to save, how
could the incorrigible obstinacy of sin have
been illustrated as it is now illustrated by
those who refuse life, and will die in their
iniquity. The preaching of the Gospel to
those who reject it takes off the cloak, and
exhibits that obstinacy of heart, which in
time and through eternity sees and hates
the Father and the Son.
Another object of the Divine government,
is to illustrate the beauty of holiness.
In accordance with this object, he places
his people in such circumstances of tempta¬
tion and sorrow as shall occasion practical
evidence of the efficacy of holiness to resist
temptation, to endure affliction, and give
joy in tribulation.
He therefore affords no pre-eminence to
his friends in point of worldly accommoda¬
tion, and that the difference between them
and the world may be manifest, he chasti¬
ses and scourges them, in some instances,
even more than he does the incorrigibly
wicked.
To bring out the tried faith of his peo¬
ple which is precious in his sight, he con¬
ducts them through much tribulation to his
kingdom, that their confidence in him and
Funeral oj Henry Obdokiah. 23
their resignation to him, and that their hu¬
mility, and meekness, and patience may ap¬
pear.
He would also purify his children and fit;
them for Heaven : and for this purpose he
often heats the furnace and applies the rod.
We are inclined to feel as if it must be
the sole purpose of God to make his people
happy in time ; whereas it is, to a conside¬
rable extent his object to make them, un¬
happy ; by their trials to make them shine
as lights in the world, to wean them from
the world - and- to prepare them for glo¬
ry. It is, also, a revealed object of
the Divine administration below, to cause
men to ’feel their dependence upon God.
This, it is the constant propensity of man
to overlook. A little strength tempts him
to set up for independence ; a little success
to repose confidence in his own wisdom,
and to eulogize his own goodness. God
condescends to employ his friends in his
work ; but so prone are they to self-corn *.,
placency and self-sufficiency, that he can
employ them successfully, but a little while
without exposing himself to robbery and
them to self-destruction. He must, there¬
fore, occasionally dash the earthen vessel
in which he puts his treasure, and break
the instrument he condescends to use, lest
24 tiermon preached at the-
the axe should boast itself against him that
heweth therewith, or the rod snake itself
against him that liftetli it up ; and the les¬
son of disappointment must be repeated
from age to age, to teach iiis wayward chil¬
dren to realize “ of whom, and through
whom, and to whom, are all things.”
Finally, the Providences of God are often
dark b cause we do not keep in view his
ultimate end in all that lie does.
It is the ultimate end of God in all his
works ‘to illustrate his glory. But his glo¬
ry is his power, wisdom, and goodness. .If
then it be his object to display power, it is
not so wonderful that he should unchain a
world of madmen, and suffer if to rage
against him, and rush on the bosses of his
buckler. If it be his'object to display his
wisdom, we may perceive a reason why he
has permitted the wicked to take counsel
against the Lord, and to carry their plans
for the destruction of his cause to the con¬
fines of success. He takes the wise in their
own craftiness, turns their councils into
foolishness,’ and carries head-long their best
concerted plans.
If to illustrate his justice or his mercy be
his object, then we might expect to see the
crimes to be punished or forgiven, develop¬
ed, that the severity of his justice, and the
Funeral of Henry Obo Mali. 25
' 4 •“ \ * " * ' .
riches of his grace, may be appreciated by
all bis subjects ; and if lie would aston¬
ish us by. his patience an,d condescension,
in what manner could these attributes be il¬
lustrated mo e strikingly, than by delaying
for ages, the punishment of. nations, and
from year to yea, that of individuals, while
his sun shines and his rain descends upon
them, and the earth multiplies his munifi¬
cence, and pours a profusion of blessings
upon the disobedient and unthankful £
Inferences.
i. The Providence of God is not to be
regarded as a moral law, or rule of ljfe.
From its very nature, it cannot be a
rule of life. It is the course of the Di¬
vine conduct in the administration of his
government on earth ; whatever he does,
or for wise reasons permits to be done.
But it cannot be our duty were it possi¬
ble, to do every t iing that God does, much
less to do every tiling which he permits to
be done, and yet whatever comes to pass in
time, is considered in the Bible as being in
such a sense a part of the Providence of
God, that if it be auspicious, it creates an
obligation of gratitude, and if inauspicious,
an obligation of resignation to bis providen^
tial will.
■>6 Sermon preached at the
Beside, the Providence of God does not
possess the requisite properties of a moral
law or rule of life.
A. law to be obligatory must express in¬
telligibly the will of the lawgiver concern¬
ing the conduct of subjects. But the Pro¬
vidence of God makes no such intelligible
disclosures, either of his, character, or will,
as shall answer daily ,• and amid all the di¬
versities of circumstance in which we- are
placed, the purpose of a plain and practica¬
ble rule of conduct. Clouds and darkness
are round about him ; none, by searching
his Providence can kfind out his will as* a
moral rule. The laws of no government
can be correctly and amply inferred, mere¬
ly, from the general course of the adminis¬
tration of the government ; much less, can
the will of God, as a rule of life, be inferred
from an administration so extended, and so
perplexed by inscrutable mysteries and con¬
trary movements, as in the Providence of
God.
• It has been supposed by some, that the
established connection in the Providence of
(?od between virtue and happiness, and sin
and misery, furnishes an intelligible indica¬
tion of the Divine will as a rule of life.
But to make the will of God apparent in
this manner, success and happiness must
Funeral of Henry Gbookiah. 27
attend so invariably what he commands,
and disappointment and misery what he
forbids, as to leave no room for mistake.
But there is in the constitution of Provi¬
dence, no such marked discrimination be¬
tween good and. evil, as the immediate con¬
sequences of human action, as right or
wrong, but rather such a total want of dis¬
crimination asjustifies the inspired declara¬
tion that 44 one event happeneth unto all
that 44 the race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong, neither yet bread to
the wise, nor yet riches to mem of under¬
standing, nor yet favor to men of skill, but
time and chance happeneth unto all.” Such
want of discrimination as prompted the de¬
sponding exclamation, 44 Surely I have
cleansed my heart in vain and washed my
hands in innocency.” Many indeed are
the afflictions of the righteous, while the
wicked are not plagued as other men. — •
Twelve hundred and sixty years did the
witnesses prophesy in sackloth, 'while the
tabernacles of robbers prospered, and the*
proud were called happy, and they that
tempted God were delivered.
The precepts of a law must also precede
its' sanctions, and be intelligible without
them; but if the good or evil attendant on
actions be the only indication of the Divine
O
28 Sermon preached at the
will, the reward and punishment precede
the precept, and from these only do we
learn what the precept is. But did the
Pro vidence of God indicate plainly and uni-
, versaity his will, inasmuch as it does it by
its sanctions only, it wopld not in that case
be Hie rule of duty, but merely the medium
of revealing it.
But it may be demanded perhaps, is not
the Providence of God in fact regarded as
a rule of life ? Do we not appeal to provi¬
dential admonitions and indications of du¬
ty ? Do we not even say, that the Provi¬
dence of God makes it our duty, to do or
to abstain from doing things ?
We do indeed use such language, but ne¬
ver with exact propriety ; and yet in refer¬
ence to circumstances which render it, per¬
haps, sufficiently intelligible.
Ability and opportunity to accomplish an
action, are essential to tlife existence of mo¬
ral obligation to do it. Now the Provi¬
dence of God may supercede our ability to
do- what God has required, and in that case,
may cancel our obligation. It may also
restore our ability, and in that case may
create obligation, not directly, by cancel¬
ling and re-enacting law, but indirectly hv
taking away, and restoring our ability or
opportunity to obey.
Funeral of Henry Obookiah . 29
The command, six - ays slialt thou labor,
is of universal obligation. But sickness, a
providential event, suspends the obligation
and tbc restoration of health, a providen¬
tial event, restores the suspended obligation
by the restoration of ability to labour.
The great Apostolic commission, “ Go
ye out into all the earth and preach the gos¬
pel to every, creature,” brings a universal
obligation upon pastors * and churches, .to!
propagate the gospel. But when a church
is so persecuted, or so poor, as to be unable
to do any thing, the obligation ceases ; but
is renewed again by a change of circum¬
stances, which bring with them rest and re¬
sources. In this imperfect sense only, does
the Providence of God make it our duty to
do or not to do a thing. The obligation is
always contained in some law, antecedent¬
ly in being ; and the Providence of God '
only modifies our duty, by modifying our
ability and opportunity.
The view we have taken of the Providence
of God, illustrates the necessity of a revel¬
ation, and the importance of extending it
to all mankind.
A revelation is needed to declare the be¬
nevolence of God and the immortality of
the soul ; to reveal the laws of his govern
.30 Sermon preached at the
merit with their appropriate sanctions ; to
announce to sinners a way of pardon which
shall deliver from punishment and from
sin ; to explain the mysteries of Provi¬
dence; to allay the fears of superstition,
and inspire confidence in the ways of God,
and resignation to his will ; and to perpet¬
uate an authorized systein of instruction,
which shall render revealed truths efficient
* principles of action.
The man who denies the importance of
knowledge on these points, is a madman
and not to be reasoned with.
Infidels assert, indeed, the sufficiency of
nature’s light, The volume of nature, they
say, is open, and plain, and ample. Let
them point us, then, to unequivocal evi¬
dence on its pages, of the Divine benevo¬
lence, arid bring to light the immortality of
the soul. Let them make us acquainted
with the will of God and its sanctions, and
answer the question, « How can man be
just with God,” or cease from Sin ? Let
them by nature’s light, dispel the darkness
about his path and explain the deep myste¬
ries of his way ; how natural evil can have
place in a plan of perfect’ benevolence, and
moral evil in a government administered by
perfect holiness.
The book of nature is a part only of God’s
Funeral of Henry Obookiah, 3 1
whole plan : the mere alphabet of the vol¬
ume, compared with what is yet to come ;
and who, from the scattered letters and dis¬
connected words, can read the history of
eternity, and see the relative wisdom of his
administration. Reason without revelation
is the powerless eye of infancy, gazing upon
impenetrable darkness. The actual state of
the heathen world confirms our theory ;
mankind without a revelation, never have
understood from the Providence of God
alone the great points of his character, law
and gospel. All heathen lands are at this
day, without God and without any correct
system of worship or morals ; or appropri¬
ate means of sanctification or pardon. —
They afford no evidence of holiness such as
qualifies men for heaven, hut rather une¬
quivocal evidence of the unbroken dominion
of sin.
They are terrified by the character, and
corrupted by the example, and destroyed by
the worship, of impure and sanguinary di¬
vinities. They are tormented by their own
vices, by their religious worship, and by the
vain fears of superstition. The Gospel is
the only remedy which God has provided,
and the exertions of those who are blessed
by it, are the only ordinary means he con-
32 Sermon preached at the
descends to employ to extend it to the desti¬
tute.
3. Temporary disappointments, and great
trials in our attempts to extend the Redeem¬
er’s kingdom, furnish no evidence that our
ways are not pleasing to God, or that we
shall not ultimately prosper.
The temporary success of the wicked is
no proof that the Most High approves of
their ways, or that they shall ultimately
prosper ; on the contrary, we know that
the triumphing of the wicked is short, and
that by prosperity, they are only set on
slippery places, to be cast down as in a mo¬
ment.
But it accords with the past analogy of
the Providence of God, and with the char¬
acter and state of man, that he should try
the faith of his people, and humble their
pride and cause them to feel their depen¬
dence, and cry unto the Lord, before lie
consummates their benevolent desires.
He intended to give the primitive Chris¬
tians a complete victory over Pagan Rome ;
but what fiery trials and protracted opposi¬
tion did lie first permit.
He intends to put an end to the delusions
of Mahomet, and to the empire of the man
Funeral of Henry Obookiuh. 33
i»i sin : but what obstacles have intervened,
and still remain, baffling the efforts, and de¬
ferring from age to age the hopes of the pi¬
ous.
He had determined that the Islands of
Otaheite and Eimeo, should receive his law,
but not till twenty years of faith and pa¬
tience had prepared the Missionaries, and
the Christian world, to feel that the change
was accomplished, not by human might, but
by the Spirit of the Lord.
It was the purpose of God to give to our
Missionaries in the East a firm establish¬
ment, but not till their patience had been
severely tried, and we had been brought to
put our trust only in the Lord.
You have perceived, doubtless, that this
discourse has been conducted with a parti¬
cular reference to the occasion which has
convened us in this place.
The death of Henry Obookiah, is one of
those ways of God, about which are clouds
and darkness.
Y e did not expect it, and we should not
have ordered events thus, to glorify God,
and extend his cause.
We thought, surely this is he who shall
comfort Owhyhec. We saw so plainly the
hand of God, in bringing him hither ; in his
instruction, his conversion, talents, and
34 Sermon preached at the
missionary zeal, that like Samuel, when he
saw the eldest son of Jesse, we were pre¬
pared undoubtedly to say, “This is the
.Lord’s annointed.” But all our hopes of
his agency, in the Ovvhyhee Mission are
dashed. His work is done : Those feet will
not traverse the shores of Owhyhee, that
tongue will not publish salvation to those,
for whom it uttered so many supplications.
We behold the end of his race, and bury
with his dust in the grave all our high rais¬
ed hopes of his future activity in the cause
of Christ.
And to some it may seem, as if God were
frowning upon this Institution, and were
warning us, after so much needless expense,
and labour lost in the education of this
youth, to cease from our vain expectations
of sending the Gospel to Owhyhee, and give
up our labour of love.
But we do not thus interpret the voice of
his Providence which speaks to us this day,
hut rather hear him saying to us, more audi¬
bly than ever, “ Go forward.”
It must be confessed that we have had
fears, unbelieving fears, doubtless in part,
and such in part as resulted necessarily
from the novelty of the undertaking,- and
had we suitably regarded the analogy of
Providence, we might have had fears from
Funeral of Henry Obookiah . . 35
our uninterrupted and uncommon prosperi¬
ty, whether our work was the Lord’s, and
would be owned by him, and blessed. But
from this darkness we hear the voice of our
God saying unto us,. « Be not afraid, for I
am with you— be not afraid, it is And
\ve are not afraid. Instead of his frown, we
behold in this his Providence, cheering evi¬
dence, that this institution is taken under
Jiis protection, as his own, and that he will
by trials so discipline us, and the members
of this school, for future usefulness, that
himself shall not be robbed, nor we be de¬
stroyed, by the salvation of Owhyhee.
Nor do we feel as if our labour had been
lost, did our work terminate this day. If
rfnv are disposed to think so, let them behold
the dying scene of Henry Obookiah'; wit¬
ness his heavenly smile; trace his bright
path to glory ; behold his immaculate spirit
before the throne of God — his astonishment
at tlie Providence which brought him from
Owhyhee, to fit him for Heaven, and his rap¬
ture at the glory revealed in him. Behold
his humility, while he veils his face, and
casts his crown at the feet of Jesus; his
rapture while he cries amid the myriads of
glory, « Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain.” Let them calculate the amount of
moral evil prevented by his sanctification*
36 , Sermon preached at the
and of natural evil, by his exemption .from
the plagues of sin and the wrath of God. —
Let them think of his growing knowledge
and expanding mind; his increasing holi¬
ness, and his joy, destined to increase for
ever, and then decide, whether they would
recall the prayers, and the substance given
to him,' if by doing so it would recail his
spirit from Heaven, renew in his heart the
reign of sin, and send him hack to weep un¬
heeded, where he once wept, “ because no
one would give him learning,” and at last to
go hack to the darkness ofOwhyhee, and die
unsatisfied among the heathen.
Who would dare to stop the song which lie
sings, .to extinguish the rapture which he
feels, to eclipse by his removal from Heav¬
en the glory of God, which his ‘redemption
illustrates, or rob angels of their joy at his
conversion, and their augmented joy at his
arrival in .glory.
Who does not reioicc rather* that God* has
inclined and enabled him to bear a part in
so glorious an achievement, as is now con¬
summated by his redemption.
.lithe churches ofNew-England, knowing
the purpose of God concerning Obookiali,
had chartered a ship and sent' it to Owhy-
hec, on purpose to bring him to Christ, and
fit him for heaven: it "would have been a
Funeral of Ilcnry Obookia/t. S7
heap purchase of blessedness to man, and
glory to God : — and were there no c.\pedi-
ents now to rescue his poor countrymen, for
whom he prayed, the end would justify the
constant employment of such means, to
bring the, sons and daughters of Qwhyhee,
to glory. But besides his redemption, God
by his Providence towards him, has illus¬
trated his government of the moral world,
and added new evidence to the truth of the
declaration, “ All that the Father hath giv¬
en unto me shall come.”
This dear youth, it appears from evidence
satisfactory, was given to Christ before the
foundation of the world, that he should be
holy and without blame before him in love,
God having predestinated him to the adop¬
tion of a child, by Jesus Christ.
But he is in the deep darkness of Owhy-
hec, and how shall he believe on him of whom
be has not heard, or how shall he hear with¬
out a preacher, or be blessed w ith the privi¬
leges, when the tiinfc has not come to send
the Gospel to that isle of the sea.
Behold the wonder-working hand of God I
He is in the proscribed family of his father,
all of whom are cut off. He flies with his
brother on his back, whom the fatal arrow
pierced, leaving Ohookiah untouched— -He
*s dedicated by hi-s surviving uncle to the
,SS Sermon preached at the
priesthood— <But his tender spirit, grieved
at the loss of his parents, could not bear
the associations of Owhyhee. Other chil¬
dren had parents to return to, after playing,
but this “ poor boy” could not forget #that
he had none, and left his native land volun¬
tarily, and eagerly, that lie might cease
from the ’constant, painful, remembrance of
joys departed never to return.
He came to this land, and heard of Him
on whom without hearing, he could not be¬
lieve, and by the mouth of those, who could
never have spoken to him in Owhyhee.
He heard,* and God who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, caused the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God,
in the face of Jesus Christ, to illumine his
heart ; and now the eternal purpose of God
is fulfilled. . •
The necessity of the means of grace for.
that purpose, illustrating God’s providential
agency in bringing him to the light, and his
voluntary agency in coming to the light, are
manifested. The special grace ofrGod, in
the renovation of his heart, and his volunta¬
ry submission to, and confidence in the Re¬
deemer, are proved to be reconcileable by
their existence as matters of fact.
Nor does the salvation of Obookiah fill up
the measure of good, by which the Most
Funeral of Uenrij Obookiah • S9
High is pleased to reward our labour for
him. By means of his conversion, num¬
bers of his brethren, wandering like lost
sheep in our land, have been brought also
to the knowledge of his truth, and by the
remote instrumentality of the same event,
this Institution, the hope of 0 why bee and
other heathen lands, has been established.
Nor are we compelled to believe, that his
usefulness will terminate with his life, or
that the immediate consequences of his
death, will be calamitous. His death will
give notoriety to this institution— will awa¬
ken a tender sympathy for Owhyhee, and
give it an interest in the prayers and chari¬
ties of thousands who otherwise had not
heard of this establishment, or been interes¬
ted in its prosperity.
Let there be no despondency, then, in¬
dulged by the members of this agency, or the
I board under whose patronage we act, or by
I the churches of our Lord, who favour this
I institution. These clouds, and tuis dark-
i ness, announce the presence, but not the dis-
I pleasure, of our God.
Had no disappointments intervened, our
work had lacked the immemorial testimony
of the Divine approbation. Instead of be¬
ing appalled by the darkness, vve arc cheer¬
ed by it $ instead of fainting under the stroke.
40
Sermon , <$*c.
we are animated by it, to double confidence
in God, and double diligence in this work,
forasmuch as we know, that our labour is
not vain in the Lord.
THE BANNER OF CHRIST SET UK
A
SERMON
delivered at the inauguration
op THE
Rev, Hermon Daggett,
AS PRINCIPAL OF THE
FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL
IN
CORNWALL, CONNECTICUT,
May 6, 1818.
BY JOSEPH HARVEY, A. M.
PASTOR OF A CHURCH IN GOSHEN, CON
$eto#atoeit :
PUBLISHED BY NATHAN WHITING,
Agent of the Foreign Mission School.
S. CONVERSE, PRINTER.
1819-
J
\
A SEILMON.
PSALM XX. 5.
And in the name of our God we will set up out
banners.
1 he annals of tear inform us of banners set up
in the name of earthly princes, and of the perils
of those, who in the u imminent deadly breach ”
have planted the standard of their country.
To those who have enlisted under it, the banner
thus displayed is the signal for united and vigorous
effort.
But there is another warfare, and there are
other banners than those which are devoted to
earthly glory. There is a kingdom which is not
of this world.
And has the Captain of our salvation, none
among his enlisted bands, who are ready to volun¬
teer for special enterprises — none who are willing
to march up to the entrenchments of the enemy ,
and set up a banner in the name of their God ?
The pious author of our text was one who
cheerfully assumed the danger, and who shared the
glory of setting up the banners of God. Paul the
Apostle of the Gentiles was another.
P 2
4
Inauguration Sermon ,
Athens and Ephesus, Corinth and Rome, were
so many breaches in the entrenchments of Satan,
where in the very gates of idol temples, and on
the heights of heathen superstition, he set up the
banners of the Cross.
Luther, Calvin, and Knox, in later times, have
followed up the assault in one quarter, while
Swartz, Carey, and Buchanan, together with
youthful heroes from our own shores, have in
other parts of the field made new breaches, gain¬
ed new points, and in the name of their God, have
set up their banners.
And, brethren, unless our hearts deceive us, we
are now assembled to set up a banner in the name
of our God — a banner, which indicates a new
breach upon the adversary, and the approach of a
fresh triumph to the cause of Christ.
The Pagan world is the fortified camp of Satan.
There he reigns unrivalled, unmolested. — There
he is worshipped in all the varied forms of cruelty
and lust. There his victims wear the chains of
superstition and vice. There his wheels crush
them, and his fires consume them. A significant
prelude to the “ vengeance of eternal fire”
In the Providence of God we are permitted to
take a station on the very borders of this camp.
Souls escaping from this despotism, fly to us for
protection. They have come among us, they are
now before us. By the proper qualification and
use of these instruments, plucked from Satan’s
own hands, we may hope one day to carry light
and salvation to the dark recesses of his empire.
But do we indeed set up this banner in the
Inauguration Sermon ,
5
name of our God ? Can we fairly expect for this
Seminary the patronage of Heaven ? Have we
obeyed the voice and followed the indications of
Providence in raising this banner? Is there a ra¬
tional prospect of enlarging the limits and promot¬
ing the interests of Zion in this enterprize? These
points it becomes us to examine with attention, for
all our hopes of success rest here. “ If this coun¬
sel or this work be of men, it will come to nought ;
but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it.”
While then we claim that this banner is set up
in the name of our God, we propose to give a
brief and connected view of the evidence by which
we support this claim ; and the reason why in the
transactions of this day, we confidently and joy¬
fully adopt the language of the text as our motto.
An enterprize, that it may have a legitimate
claim to the patronage of God, must bear the fol¬
lowing distinctive marks.
It must in nature and design accord with the
revealed will of God.
It must be clearly pointed out in his Providence,
and it must present a rational prospect of success.
By these marks, then, let us test the character
of our present enterprize.
1. It must in nature and design accord with the
revealed word of God. In other words, its lead¬
ing object and motive must agree with what God
has revealed to us as his pleasure, and our duty.
And this object must be pursued by lawful and
Christian measures. Many an enterprize of am¬
bition and tyranny has claimed the patronage and
6
Inauguration Sermon.
assumed the name of Jehovah. Many times have
the professed Banners of the Cross waved over
fields of carnage, and the altars of superstition.
Such have been Papal efforts to secure the domin¬
ion of the beast, by pretending to convert the hea¬
then. Some of the fairest portions of Europe,
the plains of Southern America, and many deso¬
lated regions of the East, exhibit to this day the
traces of their cruelty, and the evidences of their
hypocrisy.
Other enterprizes have resulted from the mere
ebulitions of fanaticism. Many have run without
being sent, and by the vain projects of distempered
zeal, have exposed the cause of Christ to reproach
and themselves to disaster.
Such were the memorable crusades of the ele¬
venth and twelfth centuries, in which the Holy
Land was the idol of superstition, and the Infidels
were to be driven into heaven by force of arms.
But all these and similar attempts, could plead
no authority from the word of God, and were
therefore, merely the efforts of depravity under
the cloak of religion.
Let us not then harbour the thought, that be¬
cause chimerical plans have been projected under
the name of religion, and have failed : no enter-
prize for the enlargement of Zion is to be underta¬
ken or will succeed. Let us not suppose that be¬
cause hypocrites have abused the name of religion
to effect their sinister purposes, all are hypocrites
who attempt any thing for the honour of Christ.
That no banner is to be set up in his name, be-
Inauguration Sermon .
7
cause men with evil designs have pretended to
•erect such a banner.
If our present undertaking can plead no higher
claim to the patronage of God than inquisitions
and crusades, let us for ever renounce it
What is the revealed purpose of God respecting
the heathen ? If God has not given us authority
to subjugate them, or to convert them with fire and
sword, has he authorized us to do nothing for
them ? Are they never to be converted ? And are
there no lawful Christian means by which to ac¬
complish this object? Does God himself intend
to do nothing for them ? Are they always to re¬
main as they are now and have been for successive
generations ? Are six hundred millions of our race
from one age to another, to grope their way to hell
through the darkness of idolatry ? Is not light ever
to shine on heathen lands ? Is no banner of Jesus
ever to be set up on the plains of India or China ?
Will Ethiopia never stretch out her hands to God ?
^VV ill the Islands of the sea never wait for his law?
— No one who reads his Bible and believes it, can
have a doubt on this subject. The heathen are
the covenanted inheritance of Christ, and the king¬
doms of this world will become his kingdom. The
Bible every where declares this truth, and the peo¬
ple of God have expected this event from the ear¬
liest ages, and have one after another died exulting
in this hope.
Besides, this is not the only purpose of God, it
is the great object of Christian labours. It was
the last and express command of our Saviour to
&is disciples, (( Go ye into all the world , and preach
8 Inauguration Sermon .
ike Gospel to every creature” And that this
command is to be understood as addressed to ali
the ministers and churches of Christ in every age,
is manifest from the subjoined promise : “ Lo I
am with you alway even unto the end of the
world ” This leaves no room for a doubt as to
the will of God or the duty of his people. If there
were a possibility of mistaking our duty on this
subject, we might render it still clearer by turning
our attention to the fulfilment of this promise in
behalf of those who have in obedience to the com¬
mand, gone forth and preached the Gospel among
the nations. Christ has been with them to pro¬
tect and support them, he has blessed them with
the presence and saving efficacy of the Holy
Ghost, and has thus shown what he meant by the
command and the promise. And he who attempts
to evade the application of this command, or to
excuse himself from the duty enjoined, does virtu¬
ally renounce his relation to Christ, and his title
to the future inheritance of his children.
The attempt then, to instruct and christianize
the heathen, is no chimera. It is no crusade nor
papal mission for gold or power. It is the reveal¬
ed will of God, and a prominent duty to which all
Christians are bound by the express command of
their Lord.
In its design, then, our enterprize bears the
stamp of Divine authority. But how, in the next
place, do we propose to accomplish this design ?
Are our measures lawful and Christian ?
The plan by which we prosecute our present
purpose is simple. It is to use no carnal weapons
Inauguration Sermo n .
9
•or carnal influence ; but by affording Christian in¬
struction and exhibiting Christian example, to per¬
suade the heathen to be reconciled to God. Here
is no plan of aggrandizement, no objects for carnal
concupiscence. The station is humble, the task is
arduous, the trials are many ; but the object is
glorious, and we trust the fruits will be blessed.
May we not, then, trace a clear and satisfactory
accordance of our present attempt with the word,
and purpose of God ? Are we not doing in this
Seminary “ \\ hat our Lord has commanded us to
do ?” Are we not tendering our aid in the work of
preaching the Gospel to every creature ?
2. Our present enterprize, that it may claim the
patronage of God, must be clearly pointed out in
his Providence; and by this mark let it be proved.
The call of Providence to any particular duty,
must be learnt from a coincidence of circumstan¬
ces, pointing the same way, rather than from an
insulated fact.
When a variety of events originally indepen¬
dent of each other, shew a clear convergency to
the same point, and when that point is manifestly
within the circle of duty, and embraced by express
command, we may safely infer the design of Pro¬
vidence respecting our particular and immediate
employment. Especially when these events clus¬
ter around us so thickly as to render us manifestly
culpable in disregarding their indications, may wg
hear the call of God in his Providence, to gird up
our loins and go forward.
By such indications of Providence, if wc strr
lo
Inauguration Sermon .
not deceived, has this enterprize been pointed out.
Let us take a brief view of the several steps by
which we have, as we believe, been led to the pres¬
ent stage of our work.
In the fall of 1809, Henry Obookiah, a native
of Owhyhbe, arrived with a companion from his
native Island, at New-York, and subsequently at
New- Haven in Connecticut. In the bare fact of
his arrival in this country, there is nothing extra¬
ordinary ; because many of his countrymen have
come hither, and again departed, without any oth¬
er visible effect from their visit to this Christian
land, than a contamination of its vices.
But soon after the arrival of ObooJdah , there
began to be a disclosure of some special designs of
Providence, in bringing this youth to this country,
and at this time.
Others of his countrymen have come and de¬
parted without manifesting any desire for instruc¬
tion or improvement. Not so with Obookiah.
He began early to express a strong wish to be in¬
structed, and to obtain a Christian education. He
visited the house of God on the Sabbath, and ling¬
ered about the College, trying to catch something
which would gratify the thirst of his mind for
knowledge. And when he found that he could un¬
derstand little or nothing, being ignorant of the
language, and that the treasures of knowledge
which were open to others, were locked up from
him ; he sat down and wept on the threshold of
one of the College buildings. But God who seeth
all his work from the beginning, had not excited
Inauguration Sermon . 1 1
ia his mind this strong desire after knowledge for
no purpose.
A few Christian friends residing in the College,
were led to become acquainted with his case ; and
from the first moment that they understood his
wishes, they felt an unusual interest on his behalf,
and were prepared to enter immediately on the
work of his instruction. They also laboured with
him in lively hope of Ills conversion and future
usefulness.
The same impression spread far and wide in
the hearts of Christians, as they became acquaint¬
ed with his history. And all who saw him, or
heard of him, felt, for reasons which they them¬
selves could hardly explain, that a new era was
about to commence in relation to the Sandwich
Islands.
By a remarkable coincidence of circumstances,
which we cannot now detail, friends were raised
up and places opened for the reception and instruc¬
tion of Obookiah, which served still farther to
strengthen the belief that Cod had some special
and important design in sending this youth among
us. But distant hopes and conjectures, soon open¬
ed into actual calculation and fair prospect, when
Obookiah began to exhibit evidence of a w ork of
the Spirit of God on his heart ; evidence that lie
had passed from death unto ,life.
By this early and joyful fruit of their labours,
those who had already undertaken his instruction,
felt themselves committed and bound to proceed $
and others were induced to take a part in the Jo-
Q
12
Inauguration Sermon .
bour of love, of fitting him to be a messenger of sal¬
vation to his countrymen.
While these things were taking place in respect
to Obookiah, the discovery was made, that others
of his countrymen were wandering in our land, in
circumstances which demanded the attention of the
friends ot Zion. Some of them were taken up and
put in a course of instruction. The blessing of
God evidently attended these benevolent efforts,
and the prospect of doing goodin this way, contin¬
ually extended and brightened.
The advantages of having these youth reside to¬
gether, where they might keep alive their language,
anc enjoy the society and prayers of their new
born friend, became manifest to all. They were
accordingly collected and entered upon a course
of literary and religious instruction. Here was
the germ ot the present seminary, and as we trust,
of a permanent and extensively useful institu¬
tion, in relation to the spread of the Gospel among
the heathen.
Another important step in this work, and one
essential to its progress, was the appearance of a
general spirit of prayer and liberality among
Christians, in behalf of these strangers.
Wherever their case was made known, God op¬
ened the hearts of his people to provide for them.
Those who had at first undertaken their instruc¬
tion at their own individual expense, and who were
beginning to feel the increasing burden too great
for them to sustain, were soon cheered by the pros¬
pect, that they were not to stand alone in this un¬
dertaking. Articles of clothing and donations in
Inauguration Sermon .
13
money, flowed in from different quarters to supply
their want. The God who sent them to us, sent
to them also by the hands of his people, such things
as they needed.
Other youth from the Sandwich Islands, and
from other parts of the heathen world, were soon
cast in our way, and in such numbers as to call for
more systematic and extended measures.
Here the plan of a Missionary Seminary was
first conceived. Though this design of Provi¬
dence had been gradually opening for some time,
and the Seminary had actually com^^nced : still
those employed as instruments in the work, did not
till now, distinctly perceive the object to which
Providence was leading them ; nor were they till
now, conscious of what they were really doing -
They were led by a way that they knew not. But
now they began to perceive that their ark of bul¬
rushes , contained the infancy of a great and per¬
manent institution, which would be a light to light¬
en the Gentiles. It now became necessary to
place the seminary under the patronage of some
body of Christians, publicly known, in which pub¬
lic confidence might be reposed, and which could
properly assume the responsibility of applying the
public benefactions.
A memorial was accordingly presented to the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions, in the fall of 1816, in which the circum¬
stances of these strangers were made known, and
they requested to take them under their care.
They cheerfully acceded to the request, and in
a formal manner established the Seminary, as
14
1 nauguration Sermeiu
branch ol their work ; and appointed a board of
agents to manage its concerns.
And to-day we have met publicly to consecrate
it, and its Principal to God.
Thus has God led us, and thus has he blessed
us m this undertaking. True he has taken from
us the dear lamented Obookiah — but not until he
had finished the work which God gave him to do
We can now look back and see the whole design
° in bringing this youth to our country. He
was to be the instrument of laying the foundation
oi tms ^emniary : of exciting# spirit of prayer and
liberality m our churches in behalf of his native
island 5 and of convincing us what his countrymen
might be, and what they might enjoy, under the
culture of Christian love. Having finished this
woric, and at a moment when he was becoming
dangerous to our wavering hearts, ever ready to
idolize the instrument, God took him away, to be
with Christ, which is far better.
Perhaps he is the first of his nation that ever en¬
tered the gates of the New-Jerusalem. And to
nave been in any measure the instruments of his
salvation, is an ample reward for all we have done.
Lordmay b°ldty Say? °Ur 'V°rk is n0t in vain in the
And who, on reviewing this course of events,
will not say m the sincerity of his heart, this Semil
nary is the chid of Providence ? God cast these
strangers upon our hands, and what could we do
but help them. God put them in our way, and
could we “pass by on the other side ?”
God has increased the work upon our hands-
Inauguration Sermon . !•>
one after another has evidently been born again
under our labours and where could we stop or
forsake the enterprize, without forfeiting our Chris-
tian character ? And what can we now do but
go forward ? Can we give up the object, with all
the duty, and all the encouragement which is so
clearly set before us ? No, brethren, we are en¬
listed, we cannot go back, let us then go forward,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
3. Our present enterprize, that it may properly
claim the patronage of God, must present some ra¬
tional prospect of success in doing good to our fel¬
low-men.
This is not the age of miracles, bnt of means. —
And means, that they may be used as such, must
have some probable connexion with the end.
In short, we must pursue such measures for the
conversion of the Heathen, as in the eye of sound
* It ought perhaps to be particularly noted here as one
of the clearest evidences that God designs this Seminary
for great good, that it has been signally blessed with the
special operations of the Spirit of God since its estab¬
lishment. By the admission to it of Heathen youth, in
most cases uncivilized and unchristianized, it is rendered
peculiarly dependant on the special blessing of God, and
the agency of the Spirit for its success.
And God has manifested his approbation of it by grant¬
ing this necessary blessing. Five of the youths who be¬
long to the Seminary, and who came to it in a state of al¬
most entire heathenism, have, since its establishment, (a
little more than a year) given satisfactory evidence of
having passed from death unto life, arid become the heirs
of eternal glory. Others are the subjects of religious im¬
pressions, and all appear seriously attentive to eternal
r hings. “ If God be for us, who can be against us ?”
Q 2
16
Inauguration Sermon .
judgment, and the light of Scripture, are best cal¬
culated to accomplish the object.
It is by the foolishness of preaching, that God
has determined to save them that believe, and to
save all his elect throughout the world. And our
enquiry is, vvhat are the most eligible and probable
measures of causing the Gospel to be preached to
every creature ?
Here we may lay down the sentiment as the
basis of our present enterprize, and from which the
advantages of it will be manifest, that the conver¬
sion of the Heathen must be chiefly accomplished
by native teachers. That is, by natives who have
themselves been christianized, and qualified for all
the various brandies of instruction.
This sentiment, we think, must, upon due ex¬
amination, appear rational, and agreeable to uni¬
versal experience.
Missionaries from civilized and Christian coun¬
tries are, indeed indispensably necessary to com¬
mence the operations of Christian instruction a-
mong the heathen. They must transfer to hea¬
then lands the little leaven, which is designed to
leaven the whole lump. They must begin and su¬
perintend missionary establishments, for transla¬
tions and the publication of books. They must
direct in the formation and government of church¬
es, and in settling and keeping in order all the
great concerns of missions.
But in the next stage of the work, we need na¬
tive teachers suitably qualified, who may be intro¬
duced under the direction and superintendence of
missionaries, to the social circles and private walk*
Inauguration Sermon . 1 ;
of their countrymen, with many peculiar advanta¬
ges.
Some of these advantages it may be proper here
to suggest.
All nations have their peculiar customs and
prejudices, as well as their peculiarities of lan¬
guage; a knowledge of which is important, in
gaining the attention, and seizing the avenues to
the heart.
By possessing this knowledge, native teachers
with the love of Christ in their hearts, hold in
their hands an advantage, for securing access to
their countrymen, which cannot easily he gained
by strangers. These teachers can go to their
countrymen in native language, and native elo¬
quence. Their communications are intelligible to
all, and can be adapted to every variety of char¬
acter and circumstances.
The constitutions of native teachers being inur¬
ed to their respective climates, give them a fairer
prospect of life and health, to endure the toil of
missionary labors.
Their consanguinity also to many of their coun¬
trymen, will in many instances give them influ¬
ence, and render their instructions acceptable.
Besides, it is obvious that Christian nations cannot
sustain the expense of furnishing from among
themselves, a competent supply of religious teach¬
ers for the heathen world. Nor is it necessary
they should. They will, as it is their duty, fur¬
nish and support, such a number of missionaries,
as is necessary to make establishments, and begin,
and direct missionary labors in the field.
18
Inauguration Sermon.
But native teachers, and those in great numbers
must be raised up, who, with proper assistance in
obtaining the requisite qualifications, will be able
to go forth among their kindred, and find suste¬
nance among those with whom they labor ; and
who in their turn will be the instruments of rais¬
ing up those who shall be their successors ; and
thus in the result relieve their original benefactors
from the expense of their instruction.
And this, we may here remark, has been the
uniform course in the spread of the Gospel among
the nations. England received missionaries from
Rome, who planted in that then heathen land, the
seed of Christianity. But Rome did not continue
long to supply England with Christian teachers.
Soon her own new-born children were raised up
and qualified to supply her own wants. And in
the result England not only supplies herself, but
sends out her bands of missionaries to almost eve¬
ry part of the globe.
Experience has taught missionaries at all the
principal stations, early to avail themselves of the
labors of such among the natives, as have appear¬
ed to be true converts to Christianity, and as have
been in any suitable degree qualified to become
teachers. And they have found many advantages
resulting from the experiment.
In South Africa, and under the Baptist mission¬
aries in India, many such laborers are already
successfully employed.
In every view of the subject then, it appears to
be a principle of sound policy, that early measures
be adopted to qualify and bring forward native
Inauguration Sermon .
19
teachers, as instruments of preaching the Gospel
among their countrymen. And thus far the argu¬
ment applies with equal force to all schools and
seminaries which have this object in view.
But a question here arises, and a question which
will lead us to view the peculiar advantages of this
institution ; what is the most eligible method of
educating the native youth of heathen nations, so
as to qualify them to become religious teachers
among their countrymen ?
And here let it be distinctly understood, that we
by no means consider this seminary, even when
operating in its greatest extent, as superceding the
necessity of schools for the education of heathen
children in their own country. It is obvious th<tf
the children of heathen nations cannot be trans¬
ported in a body to this or any other Christian
country for an education. Neither can it be ra¬
tionally expected, that all, even of those heathen
youth who are designed for teachers, can be favor¬
ed with the advantages of this or any similar in¬
stitution in a Christian land. There will then be
no competition between this school, and schools
for the education of heathen children abroad. Thev
are branches of the same plan of operations.
Our present object is not to discourage other
schools which have the same great object in view,
but to show reasons, why it is expedient and ne¬
cessary that such an institution as the present
should be established and supported among us ;
and to point out some advantages which may thus
be secured, and which must otherwise be lost.
The first consideration we offer for this purpose
20
Inauguration Sermon .
is, that numbers of heathen youth, and many of
them of very promising talents, are in the Provi¬
dence of God led to our shores, and have a tempo¬
rary residence in our country. Some of them come
from countries whither no n issionary has been
sent, and all of them are out of the reach of mis¬
sionary labors at home. And from the extent of
commercial intercourse in the world, the number
of such youth will doubtless be increasing. Now
if these be neglected, they will by intercourse with
the vile and vicious of our c< untry, be furnished
out to be a hindrance to the sj read of the Gospel
among their countrymen, and a nuisance to the
world.
It is also a fact that many young men of our
own country, must for a while at least be employ¬
ed as preachers and schoolma: ters among the hea¬
then, and these need to be qu: lified for their busi¬
ness. And by uniting them in a missionary semi¬
nary with the heathen youth, we secure the double
advantage of making them acquainted with the
customs and language of heathen countries, while
they enjoy all the means of instruction which civ¬
ilized society affo ds.
Intimacies and attachments are also formed be¬
tween them, and those heathen youth who are to
be their future companions in labor, which may be
of incalculable benefit.
It must also be granted on all hands, that means
for obtaining an education may be here obtained
which cannot at present be transferred to distant
heathen lands. Here are books and accommoda¬
tions, the fruits of long experience and improve-
Inauguration Sermon . 21
ment, which cannot be expected in Pagan coun¬
tries, until Christiai ity has smoothed the rough¬
ness of the forest, and turned the wilderness into
a fruitful field.
Missionaries among the heathen, however pious
and able, will, until their number is so increased as
to fill every branch of their wrork with appropriate
labourers, find themselves overwhelmed with a
great variety of labours and duties. They must di¬
vide their attention between many pressing objects,
and will find it impossible to afford that regular
and systematic instruction which is desirable to
qualify native youth to become teachers. But here
an instructor, having no other object, and sitting
down quietly to his work, will be able to accom¬
plish his purpose with greater facility and success.
As it respects the expences of education, it is
also apparent, that a goodly number of heathen
youth can be educated here, and on our present plan,
at a cheaper rate than they could be educated in
their own country.
The case stands thus : — the scholar originally is
on one side of the water, the teacher and the
means of instruction are on the other. Now the
question is, whether it is least expensive to bring
the scholar to the school, or rather to take him
when he comes, or to transport the school with all
its apparatus to the scholar ?
On the former plan we avoid all the expense
and hazard of transporting supplies to a distant
land, and secure many advantages which could not
be transported. We also by receiving the schol¬
ar here, put it in the power of many to assist him
22
i naugiiration Sermon .
Jn the articles of living, who could not contribute
money to be sent away.
On the latter plan, we not only subject ourselves
to the extra expense of supporting a school at a
distance from us, but we lav ourselves under the
necessity of making such an establishment at every
important missionary station which we occupy.
One adapted to China, will not be suited to Owhy-
uee or South America. And by establishing a
Seminary in China, we do nothing to advance the
cause in the other places. 13ut by fixing on a cen¬
tral station, and furnishing a seminary for the edu¬
cation of heathen youth generally, we construct an
engine, whose power may be directed to any part
ot the globe, and which from use and improvement
will be constantly growing more efficient and ex¬
tensive in its operations.
Perhaps it may be said, that this account of the
comparative expense of our present plan, militates
in some degree against the statements which have
been made by our Missionaries, of the expense of
educating heathen children in their own country.
But this difficulty will disappear if we consider,
that the statements of the expense of educating hea¬
then children, which have been made by our mis¬
sionaries, relate only to the extra expense of this
particular object, under the care of men who are
already sent out and supported.
It is the current expense of the education mere¬
ly, and does not include the capital invested in the
missionary establishment.
The common education of children also, on ac¬
count of modern improvements in that department,
Inauguration Sermon ,
can be conducted at a much cheaper rate than the
education of such young men as are designed to be
teachers.
These things taken into the account, it will still
he true, that the* object of our present undertaking
may be effected here, and on the present plan, at a
less expense, than to form such establishments in
heathen countries.
Besides, such an institution in a heathen coun¬
try, if equally cheap and excellent in itself, must
experience disadvantages from surrounding exam¬
ple and influence. The scholar, though receiving
instruction at set hours, still has access to pagan
customs, which must not only hinder his improve¬
ment, but afford a constant source of corruption to
his mind.
On the other hand, by separating the youth at
once from corrupt society and influence, while we
put into his hands the means of instruction, we lay
the foundation for more abundant and happy fruits.
It is highly important that some at least of the
heathen youth, who are designed to be teachers
and guides, in forming the rude materials of their
country into Christian society, should be introduced
to such society and educated in it ; that they may
see the operation of principles which they are ex¬
pected to inculcate. We can never make skilful
practitioners by mere theory. The keen eye of
curiosity will mark many facts respecting social
life, which we should never think to mention, or
which, if merely related, would make no lasting
impression.
The situation and character of females in Chris-
If
24 Inauguration Sermon,
tian society, is one important point of distinction
between that and the society of heathen, and one
thing in which the beneficial influence of the Gos¬
pel is very conspicuous. But this could never be
fully known but by observation. Obookiah fre¬
quently remarked that nothing seemed so strange
to him, on coming to this country, as to see men
and women eating at the same table and of the same
kind of food. This was a convincing evidence to
his mind, that the Gospel was designed to make
mankind happy.
He said, that when a lad, he had often thrown
stones at his mother, and thought it no crime ; and
that in his country, mothers frequently murdered
their infant sons, om account of the cruelty which
they expected from them if they should live. He
often wept at the recollection of cruelties which he
had inflicted on his mother in his early years.
Equal advantages will be found from introducing
heathen youth to civilized society, in obtaining a
knowledge of agriculture and the arts. And this
is one important object in connection with mission¬
ary labours. This will have weight in favour of
our present plan. Here practical husbandry is a
branch of our system, and the knowledge of use¬
ful arts will in due time be instructed.
It will also be much more practicable, to accus¬
tom heathen youth to habits of industry and subor¬
dination here, than in their own country. There
they will feel their independence, and at every sup¬
posed provocation will be likely to break over re¬
straint. But here they are dependent and they
will feel it, and know that they are to receive no
Inauguration Sermon .
25
countenance from those around them in any flagi¬
tious courses. Here they will learn the meaning
and necessity of authority • and being obliged to
fabour a part of the time for their own support,
they will be acquiring habits of sobriety and indus¬
try at the same time that they are learning the art
of husbandry. And by being introduced into the
bosom of Christian society, and becoming acquaint¬
ed with its better parts, by being made the sub¬
jects of Christian beneficence and kindness, they
will be able to form a just estimate of the true na¬
ture and effects of Christianity.
That false and unfavourable impression which
the heathen receive, from observing in their own
country only those nominal Christians, whose sole
object is to rifle and oppress them, will in this way
be removed from the minds of these youth, and
they will be able to remove it from the minds of
others. They will learn that there are two sorts
Christians, and they will be able in future to dis¬
tinguish between them.
Having thus attempted to show the general ad¬
vantages of our present plan, in respect to the hea¬
then world, and the prospect of doing good which
is thus set before us, I may now observe, we have
a particular prospect of doing good to a very im¬
portant portion of our fellow-men, which is now
our leading object, and to which I feel bound to
direct your attention.
The evangelizing of the Sandwich Islands has
been from the first the great object of our present
labours. To this object Providence has directed
©ur attention by sending to us a number of promis-
26
Inauguration Sermon,
ing youth from those Islands, and in this quarter, it
is conceived, is our brightest prospect of usefulness.
The Sandwich Islands are now the only impor¬
tant cluster of Islands in the great Southern Ocean
where the Gospel has not been published. At the
Society Islands , particularly at Otaheite and Ei-
meo, the triumphs of the cross have been great and
glorious. Their wooden gods have been heaped
together and burnt as the funeral pile of idolatry.
The Bible, the Sabbath, and the Sanctuary, there
shed their precious light, and diffuse the choicest
blessings of heaven.
Proceeding westward we find Missionaries at
the Friendly Isles , at New Zealand and New Hol¬
land. These include all the important Islands in
the Southern Pacific, and these have been supplied
with the bread of life from the liberality of Chris¬
tians in England.
The Sandwich Islands lying in northern lati¬
tude, over against our continent, seem to demand
their supplies of spiritual food from the people of
God in America. They are left by Christians in
the eastern world, to our nurture and cultivation
And too long have they waited for the fruits of our
tardy zeal !
These Islands are the ordinary residence of not
much less than a million of immortal beings, and by
proper cultivation are probably capable of sustain¬
ing three times that number.
The character of the inhabitants, and the en¬
couragement to instruct them, have been set before
us in actual experiment. Those who have been
acquainted with Obookiah and his companions.
Inauguration Sermon,
27
Hiid have witnessed the enlargement and elevation
of their minds by means of instruction, will need
no other evidence that these Islanders are capable
of rapid improvement, and of a high degree of in¬
tellectual and spiritual happiness.
The spiritual cultivation then of these Islands, to
extend our views no farther, is an interesting object.
But our views are by no means confined to these
Islands. They are but the threshold of our pre¬
sent enterprize. They are the key to a still more
extensive field of labour, to which our views are ul-
mately to be directed.
These Islands are situated in the path of water
communication, between us and the whole western
coast of North America. They are the stepping
stone to numerous heathen tribes scattered on the
borders of the western ocean.
Having taken post at Owhyhee , an easy access
is afforded to the western coast of America, from
California to the highest habitable latitude, an ex¬
tent of about fifty degrees, or three thousand five
hundred miles.
A regular intercourse is kept up between these
Islands, and many points of the western coast; and
it is ascertained that many, at least, of the tribes
on this coast, speak radically the same language
with that which is spoken at the Sandwich Islands.
These are facts which should not be overlooked
by the Christian adventurer.
A mission to the Sandwich Islands, however
important in itself, is but the prelude to the intro¬
duction of the Gospel to the many millions of im¬
mortals on the western side of our continent.
R 2
28
Inauguration Sermon .
And from the consideration, that vast and al¬
most impassable mountains stretch themselves be¬
tween us and the western coast, it appears evident
that the Gospel in its progress to the heathen, west
of the mountains, must take the route of the Sand¬
wich Islands, either by going round the southern
extremity of our continent, or by crossing as low
down as the Isthmus of Darien.
In this view of the subject, it is believed that no
prospect of doing good to the souls and bodies of
our fellow men, more extensive, more probable, or
more animating, was ever presented to the eye of
faith or philanthropy.
Our present establishment, while it may afford
occasional labourers for other fields, has for its
leading object, the Christianization of the western
heathen ot this continent. It is to bring the fertile
plains, and the numerous tribes bordering on the
Great Pacific, under the sceptre of Jesus, that we
set up this banner. We begin our march by tak¬
ing post at Owhyhee. And having there formed
a depot of spiritual treasures and arms, we can di¬
rect our advancing columns to any point of this
great field. And in consequence of this movement,
we shall soon see Bibles and Preachers, Revivals
and Churches, spreading throughout the whole
western extent of this continent. Young Owhyhe -
ans, catching the spirit of their benefactors, 'will
enlist as missionaries to the continent, and Chris¬
tian teachers proceeding on by land from the east,
and coming round from the west, will meet and
shake hands at the feet of the Rocky Mountains.
Then will they lift up the voice together — with the
Inauguration Sermon. 29
voice together will they sing over this great har¬
vest of souls.
I will only add, that it is important that this
whitening field should be entered with all possible
dispatch. The heathen beyond the mountains,
are yet untainted by the vices of those from Chris¬
tian countries, whose profligacy and cupidity ren¬
der them a great hindrance to the entrance of the
Gospel, where they have gone before. Let then
slumbering Christians awake and be beforehand
with the emmissaries of Satan.
O merciful Redeemer of lost men ! how long
shall the time be, ere thy Gospel shall resound from
the shores of Owhyhee, and reaching the neighbour¬
ing continent, shall echo along its far extended
coast, and salute the ears of millions of our fellow
immortals ; until we shall hear a voice from the
west as well as from the east, saying — “ The king¬
doms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of his Christy and he shall reign for
ever and ever”
We close with a few Reflections.
1. The setting up of this banner, presents us in¬
deed with a prospect of toil.
A banner is never set up for the gratification ol
idle curiosity, but as the signai for exertion. Breth¬
ren we have not called you together to-day to feast
your imagination, or excite your wonder by the
exhibition of some new thing. But we have call¬
ed you together to point out to you the Standard
30
Inauguration Sermon *
of Jesus Christ, and to call you to the rallying
point. This banner, remember, must be support¬
ed. Cowards and traitors only, forsake the stan¬
dard of their King.
Is this the banner of Christ? has he committed
its keeping to our instrumentality? Then if we
neglect it, we neglect our Master; if we desert it,
we desert the Captain of our Salvation ; if we be¬
tray it, we betray the interests of Zion.
It is no uncommon thing for those who talk in
fervent strains of the near approach of the millen¬
nium, to shrink from any particular duty or sacri¬
fice connected with objects in which they appear
to delight. If called to act in support of the good
cause, they have always some excuse at hand. —
They either do not like the object, or they disap¬
prove of the measures, or they prefer some other
object.
Many will pray for the conversion of the heathen
and weep over their wretchedness, who are unwil¬
ling to make any exertion, or practice the least self-
denial, or give a mite of their substance, to procure
an answer to their prayers.
Many are glad to see their names connected with
benevolent institutions, when they put no hand to
the work, nor touch the burden with one of their
fingers.
It any man has come to set up this banner in this
trame ot mind, “let him go and return unto his
house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his
heart.”
We are entering indeed a field of labour. We
have planned, now we must execute. We have
set up the bamier, now we must defend it.
Inauguration Sermon,
51
Brethren, we will present the subject under no
disguise. This enterprise will subject us to ex¬
pense, and toil, and trial. If any are not prepar¬
ed to engage in the work on these terras, let them
not enlist.
2. Is this the banner of God ? then we call up¬
on all the friends of Christ to gather around and
support it.
Christians, behold we set up the banner of your
Saviour! This is his Seminary. Who then is on
the Lord’s side, let him come unto us.
You see, Christian brethren, the encouragement
and the duty which the present enterprize sets be¬
fore you. You see where and how God has set an
open door for your labours of love. Here are such
advantages offered, such a prospect of speedy and
extensive benefit to the heathen world, that you
must not only feel authorised, but bound by the
highest obligation to lend a helping hand.
This is not a novel experiment of doubtful issue.
The London Missionary Society , has for years
had a Seminary exclusively for Missionary purpo¬
ses, and which has been found highly beneficial.
A seminary on the same plan with this has lately
been established at Parramatta, in New South
Wales, with fair prospects of success. And in eve¬
ry view which reason or faith can take of the sub¬
ject, this is an eligible method of conveying spirit¬
ual instruction to the heathen. And God in his
Providence is opening a wide field for our labours.
Away, then, with these excuses. God takes
them from you. You have been saying that you
32
Inauguration Sermon.
could not go to the heathen, and lo ! the heathen
have come to you. You have been afraid to trans¬
port your substance across the great deep to the
heathen, and God has transported the heathen to
your doors.
What will unbelief say now ? With what new
plea will she keep herself in countenance ? Where,
covetousness , wilt thou now hide thy head? With
what pretence, will false lov& now cover her na¬
kedness ?
Christians, Christ has your pledge and you can¬
not go back. And would you go back? Would
you forego the happiness and honour of labouring
for Him that died for you ? Would you, by neglect¬
ing your share of his service here, relinquish your
title to a crown of glory ? Will you say that you
desire not to suffer with Christ, and consequently
do not desire to reign with him forever? No, I hear
replied by every heart constrained by the love of
Christ ; no — we would not go back. His yoke is
easy, his burden is light. In obedience to his word,
led by his Providence, and encouraged by his bles¬
sing, we go forward, “ and in the name of our God,
will tee set up our Banner. Amen.
INAUGURATION ADDRESS,
delivered
AT THE OPENING OF THE
FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL
May 6, 1818.
BY HERMAN DAGGETT, A. j\f
principal of the school
PUBLISHED BY NATHAN WHITING,
-Qgent of the Foreign Mission School
.?’> CONVERSE, riUNTEr?-
1819.
, ' •- i
;
.
'• ,v 4
INAUGURATION ADDRESS.
How suitable, how fixed, and, for the purpose for which
it was made, how effectual, was that reply of the grea-:
Jewish reformer to his insidious enemies, who sought to
divert him and his faithful associates from the important
enterprise in which they were engaged : “lam doing e
great vvork, so that J cannot come down. ’
Similar to that of this holy man, in its nature and end,
is the work of every servant of God — every follower of
Christ ; and similar should his language be, when solicited
by the world, by his spiritual enemies, or by his inward
foes, to descend from his high employment.
That the work which is assigned us, as Christians, in
this world, is indeed a great work, and that we have most
powerful motives to persevere in it, through every diffi¬
culty and discouragement, will appear, if we consider,
but for a moment, its nature and consequences.
First, it is the work of personal religion. It is, by a
cordial reconciliation to a holy God, by unfeigned repen¬
tance and faith in the Mediator, to work out our own sal¬
vation with fear and trembling — to search and try our¬
selves — to keep our hearts with all diligence — to watch
and pray — to be temperate in all things — and forgetting
past attainments in religion, to press toward the mark for
the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus
Secondly, it is the work of Christian beneficence. It
is said of the holy Redeemer, when on earth, that he
u went about doing good.” He sojourned here only for
this purpose. And in this respect, every follower of his
should be like him. “ To do good, and to communi¬
cate,” says the apostle, “ forget not : for with such sacri¬
fices God is well pleased.”
We live in a world, in %vhich there is great occasion
for doing good, and for which the Providence of God is
constantly furnishing opportunities And as Christians,
S
4
Iriauguration Address.
we are bound by our religion and by our profession, as
we have opportunity, to do good unto all men, by seek¬
ing to promote their temporal, and their eternal happi¬
ness.
lo those, with whom we are more immediately con¬
nected, we are under special obligations to do good, for
&rf obvious reason ; we enjoy peculiar advantages, and
have the most frequent and favourable opportunities.
But when, in the Providence of God, an opportunity is
Furnished for doing good to the remotest fellow being, it
is no less the part of Christian benevolence to embrace
and improve it.
ihe ways m which we may do good to others are too
numerous and diversified to be even mentioned in this
address. There is, however, one, which is suggested by
the present occasion, and which, particularly at the
present day, demands the attention of all who love the
Redeemer and the souls of men, on which we may for a
few moments dwell — that of aiding in the extension of
gospel light and blessings throughout the world
Considering that it has always been the duty of the
followers of Christ to seek to relieve the spiritual wants
of the heathen, it is affecting and humiliating to reflect,
that so little has been done for the purpose, and that so
many millions of those for whom the Gospel w as design¬
ed, are still sitting in darkness, and perishing in their
guilt. It is, at the same time, pleasing to reflect, that the
Church of God has now an opportunity such as it never
before enjoyed, to engage in this holy work, with the
fairest prospect of success. Never before did the Provi¬
dence or God furnish such facilities to this work. A few
years since, the benevolent mind, which yearned over
the miseries of the heathen world, knew net how lo re¬
lieve theip. It is otherwise now. Christians now can
as easily send the Bible and other means of salvation to
the most distant of the human race, (or can aid in doing
it,) as they can perform the ordinary deeds of charity.
And in this w ork, though the appointed ambassadors
Christ will ever be the most useful and highly favour¬
ed instruments, yet e\ ery friend of Jesus may and ought
to bear a part. The w ealthy and the influential may do
much; the more indigent and. obscure may do some-
Inauguration Address. 5
thing , and Hie prayers, the services, and the offerings of
the atter, are no less acceptable and necessary than those
of the former. The feeblest effort here has its effect
f he moral machinery, by which the Most High accom¬
plishes his gracious purposes among men, is so construct*
od, that “ the finger of a child” may put it in motion, or
add to it an impulse, which shall never cease to be felt.
It should then be the language of every follower of
Christ— every partaker in his salvation, however humble
his condition, however few the talents committed to him,
u Lo™> what wilt thou have me to do ? What part of the
great work of diffusing the Gospel through the world,
does thy providence assign to my hands ?
All can pray for the success of this blessed enterprise,
u hi .,!? l° render effcctuaI aid. “ When the Lord
*ha!! build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory: He will
regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their
prayer. All can recommend the Gospel of Christ, by a
holy life and conversation. And few, if any, are wholly
excluded from the privilege of consecrating a portion of
their worldly substance in aid of those benevolent asso¬
ciations, which so remarkably characterize the present
day. 1
f t is by means of these associations, that individual ex¬
ertion and charity become a thousandfold more opera¬
tive, and m their extent, illimitable as the ruined world
in which we live.
How great is the sum of good, which, during the last
twenty years, has been effected by means of such associ¬
ations, in Great Britain ; — and bow large the promise !
How much, within the last six years, has been done by
the combined efforts of Christians in this country : and
how much may we hope will be done, by their continued
and increased exertions, for the communication of Gospel
light and blessings.
** j5 Pecuhar!y pleasing, at length, to see the direction
, Christian charity, among us, so wisely and so promis-
ingly turned towards that Ibng neglected portion of the
heathen world— the Aborigines of this country. It is
hoped that the means will he furnished for sending forth
many labourers into this important field, and that the
progress of civilization and Gospel light to the west will
6
Inauguration Address .
be rapid and glorious, until Christ shall reign from shore
to shore of this favoured land ; and until the standard of
his Cross shall be erected with success upon the islands of
the North, as it has been upon those of the South Pacific.
The inquiry has long been, “ Whence came the origi¬
nal inhabitants of this Western world, and of the isles to
which we have alluded ?” And much studious toil has
been expended in the fruitless research. Happily the
inquiry now is of a more benevolent character. The
fact that these people exist, and that they belong to the
lost race of Adam, is viewed with the eye of compassion,
and the inquiry is, “ How shall they be enlightened and
brought to participate in the common salvation ?” This
is an inquiry which does honour to the Christian name,
and which, by the help of the Lord, will be found, we
trust, to be of no doubtful solution.
Among the benevolent institutions of the present day,
that which has recently been established in this place, is
now permitted to hold a rank. The part which I am
called to take, in relation to it, I am sensible is important
and highly responsible. If I am not deceived, it is the
desire of my heart to be useful in this sphere of duty.
That I may be so, I would solicit the prayers of all who
are friends to the institution, and the counsel and aid of
its appointed guardians. And may it be our united pray¬
er, that this infant Seminary, which is so evidently the
child of Providence, may be a useful auxiliary in spread¬
ing abroad that Gospel, which is destined shortly to en
lighten and to regenerate all nations.
From the few observations which have been made,
we may see something of the magnitude of the work, in
which as the followers of Christ, we are called to en¬
gage. It is a work in which the declarative glory of
JEHOVAH is deeply concerned — which has employed
the Divine counsels from eternity — which involves the
highest interests of myriads of immortal beings — and
which, in its effects and consequences, will endure when
this earth and these heavens shall be no more, and when
all the other works of men shall cease to be regarded.
The considerations which show the work to be great,
present us also with the principal motives for persevering
ni it through every difficulty with which, in a world like.
Inauguration Jddress,
7
?u's-' 5t may be attended. To the motives suggested bv
uiese considerations, I would now add one other _ the
lbv me satisfaction which the work itself affords, and will
tor ever afford, to all who are cordially engaged in it.
How much good was St. Paul the means of effecting,
alter Ins conversion to Christianity, and how great was
the satisfaction which he enjoyed in the work ot preach-
ing to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ ; and
which be does and will enjoy in contemplating the fruits
ot Ins taithful ministry !— His own words will best in-
?°rm us. “ Now thanks be unto God, winch always
causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the
sa\°urol his knowledge by us in every place. I am
hlled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful, in all our tri¬
bulations. I or what is our hope, or joy, or crown of
rejoicing ! Are not even ye, in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Const, at his coming ?”
Let me mention a humbler instance. How much good
has been effected, and will yet be effected, by the Chris¬
tian labours of that pious female, who, by the blessing of
God rescued from darkness, from wretchedness, and
guilt, and conducted to the Saviour, an orphan child in
India ; and how happy must she have felt in the success
ot her labours ; bow divinely happy, when that child, up¬
on a dying bed, in the simplicity and fulness of his heart,
said to her, “ Oh kind Mrs. Baron, who, when I was a
pool sinful child, brought me to the knowledge of my
dear Redeemer, anointing me with sweet ointment, (even
Ins precious blood,) for my burial which was so soon to
tollovv : when she said to him, “ Dear child, give the
glory to God,” and saw him raise and join his feeble hands,
exclaiming, “Yes, I will glorify him forever and ever*
i will praise him, I will love him.”
How much good have we also reason to hope and be-
heve, has been, and will be produced, by the Christian
kindness of those young men, who took by the hand a
tri endless lad, brought to these shores, by the Providence
ot God, from a far distant isle, and taught him the way of
salvation : And how happy must they and his other ben¬
efactors feel, in view of his late triumphant death, and in
the consideration of his being gathered into the heavenly
garner, as the first-fruits from a part of the heathen world *
S 2
8
Inauguration Address.
destined soon,«ve trust, to receive from this land the
treasure of the Gospel.
But I may not enlarge. You see the motives to benef¬
icent action which I would place before you. And this,
brethren, is not a mercenary motive. It is benevolent
holy, Godlike. The nature of the good, and of the hap¬
piness, of which we have been speaking, is such as only
the benevolent mind can appreciate, or enjoy. It is the
good, the happiness, which the Psalmist desired when he
prayed, “ Remember me, O Lord, with the favour which
thou bearest unto thy people : O visit me with thy salva¬
tion ; that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may
rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory
with thine inheritance.” And that this motive may prop¬
erly be urged upon the- followers of Christ, appears from
the words of the apostle, with which we close. “ There¬
fore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord: forasmuch
as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season
we shall reap, if we faint not.”
THE
INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
BY THE
HON. JOHN TREADWELL, ESQ.
REV. AND RESPECTED SIR,
It is a fact much to be deplored, that the Christian
church has for ages been, to a great degree, unmindful of
the express command of the risen Saviour, addressed im¬
mediately to the eleven disciples, but equally binding on
all his ministei ing servants to the end of the world, and
virtually on all his followers, u Go ye into all the world,
and preach the Gospel to every creature.” The apostles
of our Lord, and their successors in the ministry during
the early centuries of the Christian era, felt the obliga¬
tion of this command, indeed, and accordingly they pro¬
claimed the Gospel through a great part of the Roman
empire, and, by the blessing of God on their labors, they
planted many renowned churches within its limits, and
prevailed, antil the empire itself became professedly
Christian. Since that happy period, during the process
of the dark ages which followed, the Romanists continu¬
ed their efforts to proselyte the Pagan world with various
success ; but they propagated a perverted Gospel, and
preached Christ rather of contention than of good will.
And since the reformation from Popery, the Protestant
churches have been so occupied, in repelling the machi¬
nations of Rome, and in bitter contentions among them¬
selves, that little has been effected in spreading the true
Gospel among the Heathen.
The truth is, that sloth and unbelief have ever been
ready to urge, as an objection against engaging in this
great and good work, “The lime is not yet come to build
the temple of the Lord but the successful labors of a
o
Inavgurai Address.
few eminent servants of Christ, in particular sections of
the great field of missions, have amply refuted this objec¬
tion, and^ have left the Christian world without excuse
for their inattention to the eternal interests of countless
millions of the human race, who, from age to age, have
been literally perishing for lack of vision : for, in the
words of the inspired Apostle, how can they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? and how can they
hear without a preacher? and how can they preach ex¬
cept they be sent ?
x\t length, through the tender mercies of our God, the
dav-spnng from on high hath visited us. An extensive
and general attention to this vital interest, has been ex-
cited on both sides of the Atlantic. This attention, tho'
flight when compared with the immensity of the object,
is nevertheless great and animating when compared with
all that is gone before it since the commencement of the
dark ages, and, indeed, even of Christianity itself.
The revolution which in these late years has taken
place in the Christian world, respecting this all-important
concern, is truly wonderful; and can be ascribed to
nothing short of a speci*! Divine impulse on the minds
ot men : indeed, when God is about soon to accomplish
any work of mercy or of judgment, in behalf of hi-:
church, he ordinarily raises up instruments, and qualifies
lliem tor the work, and so disposes events, in the natural
and moral world, as to bring it to pass, as it pre-existed
in the Divine purpose.
The sure word of prophecy, as it has been understood
by the current of interpreters, and as it has been illustra¬
ted by recent events, lias raised a general expectation
among the Protestant Christians, that the millenial age is
near at hand, if not already commenced, when the Hea¬
then shall be given to Christ for an inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for his possession : and shews
that God is, in these events, now addressing his church,
in the sublime and animating language of the evangelical
prophet, “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the
glory ot the Lord is risen upon thee ; for the Gentiles
shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thv
rising. °
Inaugural Address .
o
The spirit of a Mayhew, of an Elliot, and of a Brainerd,
is transfused into many oi the faithful servants and min¬
isters ot Christ, who, trom day to day, are coming to the
help of the Spiritual David, until they have become a
great host like the host of God.
For the support and encouragement of these and their
successors, kings are becoming their nursing fathers, and
queens their nursing mothers: and numerous Missionary
and Bible Societies, in Great Britain, in Russia, in most
other European kingdoms, in the United States, and even
in Asia and Africa, of high respectability, have formed,
and are constantly forming, and by various associations
auxiliary to them, are rapidly diffusing their benign and
sacred influence, through a mass of population, embrac¬
ing all orders and descriptions of men, high and low, rich
and poor, old and young, male and female.
Thus organized, and clad in the Christian armor, this
sacred band, feeble in itself, and unequal to the combat,
but strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, go
forth to mortal warfare against the whole strength of
Satan’s kingdom, fortified as it has been for ages, by all
his power and subtlety, to which full scope seems to have
been permitted by the will of Heaven, as if to render the
victory over him, in the end, the more complete and
glorious, and thus to give an illustrious specimen of the
truth of the declaration of the Psalmist, « Out of the
mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength,
because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the en¬
emy and the avenger.” '
It is true, indeed, that to an eye of sense, victory in
lavor of such combatants, and over such an enemy, is
impossible ; but to the eye of faith it is not only possible,
but is anticipated to be certain and final. The followers
of the Lamb know, that they go forth in this warfare un¬
der the banner of him to whom all power in heaven and
earth is committed, and who must reign until he has
subdued all his enemies under his feet ; they can there¬
fore securely bid defiance to whatever shall assume the
shape of difficulty or of danger in their wray, in the bold
and decisive language of the Prophet, “ Who art thou,
O great mountain, before Zerubbabel thou shalt become
a plain,”
4
Inaugural Address.
Among the societies to which I have referred, the
London Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bi-
^ie Russian Bible Society, and the American
Bible Society, and the American Board of Commission¬
ers for Foreign Missions, not to mention others of great
merit and celebrity, bear a conspicuous part.
Ot this last mentioned society, which was incorpora¬
ted in June, 1812, by an act of the Legislature of the
commonwealth of Massachusetts, with ample powers,
the school lately established in this town, by the name of
the Foreign Mission School, is an honourable and high¬
ly favoured appendage.
This school was instituted, as evidently appeared to
the attentive Christian mind, in obedience to the man;
fest leadings of Providence ; it has commenced its ope¬
rations under favourable auspices ; and it has hitherto
been fostered by the liberality of the Christian public,
beyond the expectation of its most zealous friends and
patrons
The great object of the Foreign Mission School is, tc
ftflord a hospitable asylum for such unevangelized youth
ot good promise as are, or shall be, providentially brought
to our shores, and cast upon us : or, as shall be found
within our limits; and to furnish them with such in¬
struction in the English tongue, as shall qualify them to
read and understand the Sacred Scriptures in that lan
guage, find to consult with profit such English writers on
theological and other subjects, as in the course of their
studies, shall be prescribed them,— also, in the elements
oi general science— -in the principles and practice of mo-
deni agriculture — in the more common and useful arts o!
civilized life — and, when circumstances shall lead the
way, and shew their utility, in physic and surgery— also
in the learned languages, such especially, as bid fair to
uecome preachers of the Gospel, or translators of the
barred Volume ; keeping up, at the same time, as far as
needful, sticji a course of exercises, as shall be calculated
to preserve entire the knowledge of their own tongue,
and to enable them to express it in alphabetical writing :
all with a view > by the blessing of God on the mean,
ns,ed? to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesu-
* J'i wt , that so, when they shall return to their own land,
they maybe qualified and disposed to instruct their be¬
nighted countrymen in those things which are essential
!n evf*7 c,vJhfed community ; but above all, in the
rh''°" le<J?e ,of fthe. one onIy living and true God, and of
he one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ
desus, and, by the help of God, effectually to persuade
t.jer j to give up their idols to the moles and to the bats,
as a reproach to their Maker, debasing to their rational
natures, and ruinous to their immortal souls. The ad¬
vantages for a Christian education, among Christians
TnfV' State? ^'istjan ministry, and in such a
^ 1 nbepmphetsas tins js designed to be, cannot
lad o being rar supenour to any that may be exoected
in schools established in unevangelized countries, to¬
wards attaining the great object in view, besides those,
not to be forgotten m the estimate, which may be ex-
jiected to result from a system of better economy.
Of this sc.iool, Rev. Sir, you have for some months
past stood duly elected Principal ; but previous engage¬
ments have hitherto prevented your entering on the dis-
charge ot the > trust : meanwhile, the burdens and dup¬
lies ot the office have been devolved on Mr. Edwin W.
Dwight, who has hitherto presided with reputation and
success. {
1 he. time is now arrived for your induction into office •
and, unskilled as I am in the ceremonial, the duty of im-
ducting you is devolved on me. i do, therefore, in the
name and benalfofthe agents of this institution, by the.
delivery of these keys to your care and keeping, winch
you will view as the symbol of office, thus publicly in¬
duct you into the office of Principal of the Foreign Mis¬
sion School here established; and do announce you to
oe invested with all the powers, prerogatives, privileges
and emoluments, thererto belonging. Enter into, a^nd
. e charge of, the buildings appertaining to the institu¬
tion, aim see that they are safely kept, aud employed in
then proper uses, so far as depends on your agency.-—
la.ve and keep possession of the archives, books* and pa¬
pers o; the establishment, subject to such orders and re¬
gulations may be made by proper authtfritv, Preside
6 inaugural Jddrea^*
in the government and instruction of the Foreign Mission
School, according to its constitution and laws. Make it
your great, your only object, to train the youth commit¬
ted to your charge, for distinguished usefulness among
their countrymen, in some department of missionary
service, adapted to the talents, gifts and grace, with
which they may be endowed, and when practicable, tor
the work of the holy ministry.
Sensible as you must be, of the inefficacy of all means
and instruments which may be employed in the great
work of evangelizing the nations, which have hitherto
remained without God and without hope in the world,
without the divine blessing, you will not cease O man of
God, to add your prayers to those of the Christian com¬
munity, which may be made acquainted with the object
of this establishment, for such special operations of the
Holy Spirit, as may be necessary to give effect to your
labours.
If to preach the Gospel be a most honourable employ¬
ment, and to preach it where Christ is not known be
pre-eminently so, can the labour of fitting multitudes for
the apostleship of Jews, Mahometans and Pagans, which
is indispensable to the existence of those functionaries, be
considered as either less honourable, or important ? Be
this as it may, we doubt not you will be always disposed
to magnify your office : and to devote what remains of
life, as you have opportunity, to the promotion of that
cause, for which Christ was born, lived, died, arose, and
ascended ; that, so, when your work and warfare is fin¬
ished, you may receive a crown of righteousness, which
God the righteous judge shall give you at that day, and
not to you only, but to all those also that love his appear ¬
ing and kingdom.
r V "Tmt
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